Darkness and Steel
by Dark Maria
Summary: A massive AU, the first part being an explanation. Eggman scraps Metal Sonic, leading to a real revelation for Shadow... rated T for violence and grossness in later installments. Sorry Metal Sonic's role wasn't bigger. The story took on a life of its own.
1. A basic explanation

-1

Sonic World

This is the universe of Sonic the hedgehog, his friends and his enemies.

_**Setting and premise**_

The setting is a post-apocalyptic era of villages of small straw huts tucked away in great dark forests amid the overgrown ruins of formerly great cities. Only one city still exists, and that is the super-metropolis that was once called Seattle but is now known as Motor City. Therein dwells the mad, tyrannical Doctor Eggman, the man responsible for the apocalypse. The people of Earth have been turned into his robot slaves, their wills overridden. Only a lucky few escaped, and they formed a resistance group, the Freedom Fighters. The group that remained in this area set up a small village at the heart of the biggest forest there is, a village they call Knothole. Other groups exist worldwide, hidden away in the wilderness at varying locations.

_**Knothole**_

Knothole is built in the great redwood forests of the American Northwest, the forest that surrounds Motor City on all sides for miles around. The winters can be brutal, but the great trees shelter them from the worst of it. The Freedom Fighters forage for fruits, nuts and berries, and they also go fishing. Small gardens are also the norm at every house, but the community garden is by far the largest. They store food for winter and supplement that store with whatever can be found. Only during the hardest of times do they hunt birds, mice and other small game, and they avoid it when they can.

_**The Freedom Fighters**_

_Sonic_—He leads the group on missions. Being the fastest thing alive, he can often be found running to and fro for no readily apparent reason. The leader of the Freedom Fighters, Sonic's childhood friend Sally Acorn, often sends him on solo scouting missions. A typical teenager in all but chronological age, he tends to be happy and carefree, a bit forgetful and apt to crack stupid jokes. But all that changes in a battle situation. In battle, he's as deadly as deadly can get. Focused, determined, relentless and unforgiving, he's truly a force to be feared. He's worked up to an amiable relationship with Shadow, the genetically altered clone of him created by Doctor Eggman's grandfather Gerald. They're still rivals, but their rivalry has evolved from hatred to a good-natured game. Contrarily, his rivalry with Metal Sonic, the robotic double created by Doctor Eggman himself, contains much hate. The nine-year-old fox named Miles Prower, better known to all as Tails, considers him a cross between a father, a brother and a best friend. His perennial partner is Knuckles, the echidna. The pink hedgehog known as Amy used to annoy him constantly, but now she's calmed down considerably. A deep blue hue, he has a large white patch on his stomach and chin, and his eyes are as deep and pure a green as Shadow's Chaos Emerald.

_Tails_—He's a typical kid, save for the fact that he's a fox with two tails. He flies by twirling them round and round. Aside from that, he's a genius. He puts his technological aptitude to the test in the fight against Doctor Eggman, building weapons or just fixing stuff. Having been orphaned at a very early age, during Doctor Eggman's initial takeover, he's sort of adopted the Freedom Fighters as the family he's never known. He's the only one not scared of Metal Sonic. He remembers the unexpected kindness the robotic doppelganger had shown him. No one else knows that the two have ever crossed paths outside of battle, save for Metal Sonic himself. They are aware that Metal Sonic has never actually gone for Tails, but they assume that it's because Tails isn't a major threat like Sonic and the rest. Tails still dreams about Metal Sonic and his uncharacteristic kindness, but those dreams are very rare nowadays, seeing as it was so long ago. Bright and cheerful, innocent and inquisitive like the child he is, he always seems to put a little bit of happiness into everyone's day. Amy hangs around with him sometimes, since their sunny attitudes are similar to each other. He is light brown, with a white stomach and chin, and white tips on both his tails. His big bright eyes are a baby blue color that only increases his already considerable innate cuteness.

_Knuckles_—He calls the mystical Angel Island home, but lately he's been hanging around with the Freedom Fighters. Guardian of the Master Emerald, he's the serious, practical sort. At times concerned with things such as celestial signs and portents, he doesn't think much of technology. A superb treasure hunter, he always seems to be the one picked for espionage missions and break-ins and other things of that sort. He's the last echidna on the planet since the race of mystics and oracles mysteriously vanished from their secret haunts when he was very young. Angel Island used to be their home, but now Knuckles lives alone. Incredibly lonely, he feels that his life would turn around completely if he found even one other echidna out there in the world. He guards the power of the Master Emerald from those who would abuse it, but lately he's wondered whether his duty is really necessary anymore. The seven Chaos Crystals have been scattered all over the world, their power broken. The Master Emerald controls the power of the Chaos Crystals, but now there is no power for it to control. Does the Master Emerald even need its guardian nowadays? He secretly likes Sally and Amy just annoys him. He is red, with Jamaican dreadlocks and a white crescent-shaped patch on his chest. He also sports a pair of sunglasses and often tries to look cool. His deep indigo eyes give the impression of great wisdom and spiritual serenity.

_Shadow_—A pensive, even morose loner, he is Sonic's polar opposite in almost all things. He uses the Chaos Emerald to warp and distort the fabric of space and time, a unique power he calls Chaos Control. Sonic can do it too, but not nearly as well as he can. Always on his mind is the long-deceased Maria, his first and only friend. What Sonic is to Tails, she was to him. Tails is kind of afraid of him and that's the way he likes it, even though deep down he likes the kid. Tails reminds him of the way he'd once been. He knows from the tales Maria had once told him of his earliest childhood that he'd been a spunky little ray of sunshine just like Tails. His most precious possession is a photograph of himself and Maria together. He had initially wanted to destroy the world to get revenge in Maria's name, thinking that had been her last request, but he soon realized that such was not the case. She hadn't asked him to destroy the world; she had asked him to protect it. Once he realized this, he hooked up with Sonic to do just that. Even despite his great efforts to come to terms with his past, he still has violent nightmares about Maria's death and sometimes awakens screaming her name. Amy's sweet, cheerful innocence reminds him of Maria, and he's protective of her for that reason. She's like Maria all over again for him, and this time he won't fail in his mission to protect her. He is a dark black with streaks of deep red, with a smallish tuft of pure white on his chest. His eyes are a warm red hue that would look evil but for the gentleness and pain visible in them.

_Amy Rose_—She's completely hyperactive, and she used to be totally nuts about Sonic. Now she's best pals with Tails, since they're actually a lot alike. She's the one who got Shadow to remember the truth about the promise he'd made to Maria. He'd initially scared her with his antisocial tendencies, but she soon saw through his gruff veneer to the hurt soul hidden beneath it. Not nearly as fast as Sonic or even Tails or Knuckles, she makes up for her shortcomings by wielding a large pink mallet as her primary weapon. She's colored hot neon pink with big blue eyes and she wears a short red skirt.

_Sally Acorn_—Her father was the king before he was banished to another dimension. She leads the Freedom Fighters in hopes of freeing him. She and Sonic have known each other since early childhood. Tails is all but a son to her, but she's still a little leery of Shadow. Knuckles, however, is a kindred spirit to her. She is a brown and plain squirrel with nothing remarkable about her appearance.

_Bunny_—Her name describes what she is. She's a rabbit. She's partially cybernetic and has been since she was captured and Doctor Eggman managed to partially turn her into a robot. She retains her free will, and has gained enhanced strength and speed from the change, along with innate resilience. A quiet, calm soul, she sometimes jokes when the going gets tough. But she's mostly serious.

_**The loose cannons**_

_Metal Sonic_—He was named for his appearance: he looks like a metal Sonic. This robotic duplicate of Sonic was created by Doctor Eggman to destroy the Freedom Fighters, but thus far he has failed. Lately Doctor Eggman has gotten impatient with him, being sick of his failure. He's given his creation one last chance, and Metal Sonic knows it. He must destroy Sonic and the Freedom Fighters or be destroyed himself. So his mission has evolved from a vendetta to a matter of survival. He hates Sonic with a passion, hates all of them, but not Tails. If he got the chance, he knows he would spare Tails. Doctor Eggman engineered a control mechanism into him to insure his obedience. He cannot fully repair himself on his own, lacking the proper tools and knowledge of how to do it. Necessity has taught him some rudimentary skills, allowing him to improvise in order to patch himself up a little and make a few temporary repairs, but that's all. He is programmed to feel only a few emotions: fear, anger, hate, curiosity and want. Doctor Eggman has promised to give him the ability to feel other emotions if he succeeds in destroying the Freedom Fighters. Doctor Eggman has also promised to give him the sense of touch, along with the ability to smell things. But it is doubtful that he will keep his word to his creation, what with the way he scraps his lesser creations when they have fulfilled the set purpose he initially created them for. He has seen Maria's stasis chamber and knows that she has some connection to Shadow, although he doesn't have any idea what it is. Seeking to learn from her and ascertain the condition of her sleeping mind, he has tapped into her brainwaves and discovered many things. Images and sounds discovered in her mind puzzled him. Baby Shadow, lullabies… These intrigued him and he recorded them in his memory files for later analysis. He is a deep metallic blue and his eyes are neon red. His hands are yellow and silver, with lethal metal claws. A turbine set in his chest acts like a built-in jetpack, allowing him to travel as fast as Sonic. In conjunction with his heel jets, it also allows him to fly.

_Maria_—She is Doctor Eggman's secret trump card, to be played against Shadow. A young, frail, crippled child, she spent her entire life in space. He believes that she died many years ago during an assault on Space Colony ARK, but she actually survived the attempt on her life. Having lost her grandfather, her home, Shadow and everything she ever knew and cared about, she cracked under the pressure, descending into madness and becoming intensely self-destructive and suicidal. She was cryogenically frozen as a last resort all of three months after her supposed death, to be thawed when a cure for her mental problems was found. Somehow her stasis chamber found its way into Doctor Eggman's clutches. So she sleeps on, deep in the heart of Motor City. She still wears the sky blue dress she was wearing when she last saw Shadow, and tucked away in her pocket is a very old photograph of herself and Shadow. In the stasis chamber her body sleeps but her mind is caught in dreams of the past. Every moment she relives Shadow's birth, babyhood and childhood, along with the time she lost everything. She relives her valiant attempt to get Shadow to safety at the seeming cost of her own life, looks on his frightened expression and hears his anguished cries, and feels the pain of the gunshot wound that had come so close to taking her life. That wound still exists, since it had no time to heal. The many beautiful songs she'd sung for him as he'd grown up still haunt her. The memory brings only pain now.

_**The Chaos Crystals**_

The Chaos Emerald is in the possession of Shadow, while the Chaos Topaz is being used as a power source for the machines Tails uses in his workshop. The Chaos Sapphire is unaccounted for, as is the Chaos Diamond and the Chaos Amethyst. Doctor Eggman possesses the Chaos Onyx and is using it as a power source. Knuckles himself has the Chaos Ruby and is trying to learn how to use it.

_**Maria's photograph**_

The photograph Maria carries is very old. It is of a much younger version of herself with baby Shadow. She is depicted standing before a huge window with a happy smile. A toddler version of Shadow stands beside her, so tiny he has to reach way up to hold her hand. He's sucking his thumb in typical toddler fashion and holding a ratty blue blanket looped over his little arm, and he is also staring at the camera in a quizzical 'what's that' way. He has a cloth diaper on his little butt, for decency's sake rather than any biological necessity, but other than that he's barefoot and buck naked as the day he was born. His big bright eyes are full of innocent, childish sweetness and his great love for Maria is almost visible in them. A few small toys lie on the floor around them. There is a small toy car, a few blocks and a stuffed animal. All the toys look like they were well loved.

_**Maria's Song / Shadow's Lullaby**_

Long before the destruction of everything she knew and loved, Maria had been the infant Shadow's caretaker. She fed him, played with him and generally been a mom to him. At night, when it was bedtime, she held the little one in her arms and sang to him. Sometimes she would actually sing and sometimes she would just hum. The song he loved most was a series of nonsense words strung together to a stirring tune, but it was beautiful to him. She loved the song too, and sang it to herself when she was sad. Little Shadow had loved that song so much. Now, with Maria gone, remembering that song only brings Shadow pain and reminds him of how much he misses her. What he doesn't know that Maria lives and feels the same way he does.

_**How Sonic found Tails**_

Right after Doctor Eggman's initial attack, Sonic had gone to search for survivors in the ruins of suburban Seattle. All was barren, but all of a sudden he heard the sound of crying. Forcing his way into the ruins of a small house, he found his way into a nursery. A small child, no more than a year old, sat by the charred corpses of his parents, bawling his little heart out. He picked up the little boy, a small two-tailed fox, who immediately stopped crying and clung to him as if for dear life. Looking around the ruined room, he discovered a baby picture of the child he'd just found, underwritten with the words 'Miles Prower'. He took the child along with him when he finally went and joined the Freedom Fighters. Everyone took to calling him Tails as he grew and discovered what his namesakes allowed him to do: fly. Sally all but adopted him at that point, but he and Sonic quickly became inseparable. At first he called them 'Mama Sally' and 'Daddy Sonic', along with 'Uncle Knuckles', 'Aunt Bunny', 'Aunt Amy' and 'Uncle Shadow', but soon he was just calling them by their real names. They're all rather fond of him. Even Shadow likes him, and he lets Tails study his Chaos Emerald and his Chaos Control powers. He was tricked when he first met Metal Sonic at the age of five, thinking him the real Sonic. Oddly enough, the child's love and absolute trust stirred something within the robot and Metal Sonic found that he was unable to harm little Tails. He called the robot 'Not-Daddy' at first, but soon picked up on his real name.

_**Tails and Metal Sonic**_

Tails has kept what happened between him and Metal Sonic a secret. Everybody thinks he'd been hiding from everyone. He'd wandered off and gotten lost when Metal Sonic found him. The robot's initial intent had been to use him as a hostage, but that changed over a period of several days. The way Tails sometimes clung to him when scared, they way he willingly followed the robot around, the way he was always eager to help… These stirred something unfamiliar in Metal Sonic. He kept a record of the changes in his behavior for later analysis: his reluctance to leave the child behind, how the thought of harm coming to the child made him feel an unaccustomed sense of fear, the way he tended to the child's needs. Perhaps Doctor Eggman had created him too well. He had been fashioned in the image of a hedgehog, and perhaps he had accidentally been given the instincts of a hedgehog. Anyway, he found himself finding food for the child and seeking shelter when he normally wouldn't care. Seeing Tails being sad and wanting to go home, he finally took him home. It was midnight when he swept into Knothole, Tails held in his arms, carefully navigating with only his heel jets. He found Sonic's hut and set the child down on the doorstep. Telling Tails never to divulge the secret of what had really happened, he left. After he left, Tails quietly slipped into Sonic's hut, climbed up onto his bed and quickly fell asleep there, where he was found in the morning. Tails kept his promise and never told anyone about his encounter with Metal Sonic.

_**The fate of the echidnas**_

Angel Island exists in a time warp. A cataclysmic event occurred in Knuckles' early childhood, sending the whole echidna civilization into another universe. Nobody knows if they still live. The cataclysm was spoken of in prophecy and is believed to have some link to the Chaos Crystals. It is also said in prophecy that the echidnas will return someday. There are those who believe that the Chaos Crystals were responsible for the disappearance of the echidnas. If the Chaos Crystals made them disappear, perhaps the Chaos Crystals can also bring them _back_…

_**Chao: creatures of legend**_

These little creatures are about two feet high at most, with big dark eyes and sweet faces. Most often blue with yellow feet but also appearing in other colors as varied as the rainbow, their Heart Sphere, which they wear like a crown, shows their emotions. Irresistibly cuddly, they're like little kids, puppies and kittens all rolled into one. Their personalities differ widely, just like people. Some let only one person near them, while others just love everybody. They can swim and fly and run. They love races, they draw and sing and play musical instruments. Some can even talk a little bit. They most often dwell in a place known as Chao Garden, in an area where the energy of the Master Emerald is most concentrated. That energy is essential for Chao breeding. They can only fall in love and have babies when in this zone. Chao exist outside the zone as well, treated more like children and siblings than as pets. The Chao Garden is a secret place known only to echidnas and kept hidden, watched over by a lone echidna just like the Master Emerald. Chao are actually powerful little critters. The guardian god of all Chao is the aqueous being known as Chaos Zero. The echidna in charge of guarding the Chao Garden prays to Chaos Zero, being the only one able to contact the divine being directly under most circumstances. But if the Chao are threatened, it is said, Chaos Zero will arise to defend them, and to defend the guardian. Those who love the Chao are under the divine being's protection, meaning Chaos Zero will defend not only the Chao but them too, but those who dare to hurt Chao will receive nothing save wrath. Those who are indifferent to Chao the divine being also treats with indifference. To ancient echidnas it was bad luck when Chao gathered, for where Chao gather their guardian god is not too far away. The only place where Chao will readily gather is the Chao Garden under most circumstances, but they will also gather when threatened. But wild Chao flock to a faraway place once every year and what they do there is a mystery. Some say they go to breed. Legends say that once a year they go to pay tribute to their protector.

"At the doorway of Chao Garden

Behold me, Lord, for here I stand

Like a watchman ever vigilant,

Ever ready, staff in hand.

I love the Chao, my children all,

And I can tell you even now

From this day forth until forever,

I will always guard the Chao."

_**Chaos Zero: the protector of all Chao**_

Nobody's sure what gender Chaos Zero is, so the pronoun that is most often used in reference to the aqueous being is male. He is made of water, so nobody can be sure what he is. In the aftermath of Doctor Eggman's hostile takeover, Chaos Zero sought to protect the Chao by sealing them, the Chao Garden, the echidna guardian and himself in the Master Emerald. He normally is part of the Master Emerald, so sealing himself away in the gem was nothing new. But also sealing away the Chao, the Chao Garden and the guardian as well was something never seen before. He is called Chaos Zero because exposure to a Chaos Crystal will induce a temporary evolution. After the first exposure he evolves from Chaos Zero, his basic form, to his level one form and becomes Chaos One. If he is exposed to a second Chaos Crystal he evolves into his level two form and is then known as Chaos Two. It goes on in that way, through Chaos Three, Chaos Four, Chaos Five and Chaos Six. If he is exposed to all seven Chaos Crystals, he will reach his ultimate form, which should logically be called Chaos Seven but is better known to all as Perfect Chaos. If the Chaos Crystals are then removed from the general vicinity, he will eventually revert to his basic form after a set amount of time. The nature of Chaos Zero's connection to the Chaos Crystals is such that said exposure puts him into an altered state of consciousness, thereby bypassing his normal behavioral patterns and turning him into a crazed engine of destruction. Being made of water, he has the ability to diffuse at will, melting into any available body of water and incorporating said water into his being whenever he darn well pleases. Technically being a liquid, he can get out of anything. No vessel can contain him and no barrier can stop him, and he can use the smallest leak to go wherever he wants. Plus he can handle whatever's thrown at him with no problem for that same reason. And he can control all water. Unlike water, he's invulnerable to heat, meaning boiling him is not an option. Whether or not the reverse is possible is unknown. Can he be frozen? Nobody knows. Of course, being a fluid has its disadvantages as well. Size (volume?) is linked to strength, meaning the larger he is the stronger he is. But said fluid can be removed in varying ways (if you have to weaken any evolution up to and including Perfect Chaos you had better be pretty dang thirsty or have a _very_ large sponge on hand). He likes the Chao, people who love Chao and the guardian, but that's about it. He cannot speak, for he lacks the proper equipment (i.e. a mouth) to do so. He can make varying watery sounds and Perfect Chaos has an earthshaking roar, but other than that he cannot communicate with others. Under certain conditions it is possible for dark forces to take control of him, but such is limited by his very nature to either energy draining or intentionally forced evolution. In matters of intentionally forced evolution, he'll only resist the first time. The level one transformation unlocks a different personality within him, one that is insanely destructive yet obedient to whoever exposed him to the first Chaos Crystal and he also wants to achieve the ultimate form. It can be summed up as follows: Chaos Zero does not want to evolve into Perfect Chaos and destroy everything up to and including the proverbial kitchen sink, but Chaos One _does._ But if he succeeds and becomes Perfect Chaos all bets are off because he listens to no one in that form, preferring to deal arbitrary death and destruction to anyone and anything within range.


	2. You've failed me for the last time!

Darkness and Steel

Metal Sonic dragged his mangled body into Doctor Eggman's secret base. "I was defeated again," he said, his metallic monotone voice filled with bursts of static. The mad scientist's piercing gaze held no mercy as he turned toward his creation. "You've failed me for the last time. Guards! Take him to the incinerator!" Metal Sonic struggled as best he could with his twisted limbs as the mindless, merciless guard robots seized him. He cried out, "Master, please! Give me another chance!" They began to drag him away, fighting all the while. Doctor Eggman growled, "You _had_ your chance. _Take him away!_" Metal Sonic fought all the harder, now knowing that he would get no mercy from his creator. All he could rely on was his own skills. He knew he couldn't break free on his own, not in his current condition, but he had long ago found a way to get around their programming. Halfway to the incinerator, he acted on the first part of his plan. Reaching around to its input jack, he quickly entered a short little code he'd created for just such an emergency. The two guard robots promptly shut down. Somehow extricating himself from their grip, Metal Sonic clumsily flailed his way to the nearest garbage chute. He knew it led to the scrap heap outside, the only truly safe way out of the area. Tumbling and banging against the steel walls, silently suffering the indignity of it all, he clattered and banged through the long chute until he finally went flying headfirst straight into a huge pile of scrap metal.

The next few hours were spent making what repairs he could, which weren't many at all. His power core was leaking, which would almost certainly prove fatal over time. There was nothing he could do to remedy the situation; not there, anyway. He had to get out of there. Out there he would have a chance, however slim. Here he had none at all. And so, gathering together the shattered ruins of himself, he set out into the forest. Each step was an ordeal that took all of his formerly formidable strength. The going was slow and laborious, but he still wouldn't give in. At that moment he was almost glad that he was a robot, since robots could handle a lot of stuff and could feel no pain. But still, it was going to be a very long trip. All he could hope for was to get as far away as possible. He dragged himself over several long, long miles before his power cells finally ran out. Letting out a soft, whispered moan, he collapsed where he was, neon eyes dimming and going out as he went into stasis lock. All nonessential functions were suspended and the systems necessary to sustain his life were operating on minimal power drawn from emergency batteries. In essence, he had fallen into a coma. Normally the purpose of this was to buy him some more time, until his robotic compatriots could retrieve and repair him. But this time help wasn't coming. His last thought was a quiet curse directed toward Sonic. Just like everything else, this was his fault. Metal Sonic was going to die… In his current condition, he didn't have time to register that he had just stumbled upon Knothole.

Sonic was just sort of hanging around, waiting for his next mission and enjoying the brief calm between sieges on their village. "Maybe I'll go see Tails at his workshop later," he said to himself. A glint of something reflective caught his eye and made him pull to a screeching halt. Lying almost on the outskirts of town he saw the mangled, twisted body of his robotic counterpart, Metal Sonic. He didn't realize that he was talking out loud because he tended to do that in tense situations like this one. "Wait," he said, "I thought Metal Sonic went back to old Egghead's base for repairs! What's he doing out here?" A moment's thought provided the answer. "Egghead must have scrapped him. And yet he found his way out here in this condition…" Realizing that Knothole's cover would be effectively blown if he didn't do something and _fast,_ he picked up Metal Sonic's shattered body and lugged it into Tails' workshop. "Hi, Sonic," Tails said without looking up from the machinery he was working on. He gave a loud squeal of fright and jumped three feet straight up into the air at the loud, rough clatter generated by Sonic unceremoniously dumping Metal Sonic's mangled body on a nearby table. Sonic saw this and apologized, "Sorry for startling you there, buddy." Tails whispered the robot's name so softly that only he could hear, and then asked, "How in the heck did he get out here?" Tails didn't expect an answer, since he didn't really need one. Sonic spared him a short glance as he said flatly, "He just sort of stumbled in on us, I think. Egghead probably scrapped him. I figured I'd stash him in here so nobody would find him and get freaked out. Plus we can't let him tell Egghead about Knothole's location, scrapped or not." Tails nodded once. "Okay," he replied, "We can keep him in here." A quick look told him all he needed to know. "Sonic…" Tails called out, "His power core's completely drained and his batteries are almost offline. He… he doesn't have much longer." Turning to face Sonic, he fairly shouted, _"Metal Sonic is dying!"_ Sonic looked over his shoulder. "All the better," he said in a low voice. Unsurprised by Sonic's blatant hate, Tails called out a quick farewell as the hedgehog tore out the door to get on with the day's business. What he didn't say was that he would begin making repairs just as soon as Sonic left the room. No sooner had Sonic cleared the doorway than Tails brought out his tools and began to work on repairing Metal Sonic. "I remember," he muttered as he worked. "Oh, yes, I sure do remember how you found me that day so long ago. You were so kind, rescuing a lost child…" And remember he did. He murmured his memories to himself in a low voice to fill the void of silence that hung in the room like a shroud. "The soft humming whir of your inner mechanisms… The way your armor reflected and held the heat of the fire you built so I could be warm… You were kind to only me, excluding all others. You cared for me, the enemy. Boy, it made me feel so special. That sort of stuff makes a big impression on a five-year-old, you know." He worked on and on, late into the night, taking no breaks.

Finally, hours later, an exhausted Tails couldn't hold back a smile as Metal Sonic's systems came back online. He'd worked well past his bedtime, all the way to midnight. But he decided that it was well worth it to repay the debt he'd owed Metal Sonic all these years since his earliest childhood. The robot stirred and sat up, very surprised to be coming back online at all. Looking around in blatant confusion, then fixing his neon red eyes upon the young fox, he queried, "Tails?" The two-tailed child just nodded silently with a smile. Correctly anticipating Tails' next question, he immediately began to explain what had happened to him. Several minutes passed. No sooner had Metal Sonic finished his explanation than there was a loud gasp off to the side. Fox and robot turned as one to behold a very shocked Sonic, who had come to make sure that Tails went to bed and didn't stay up the whole night doing whatever. He gave a loud yell for the others and they came. Knuckles, Shadow, Amy, Sally, Bunny… All of them came running. Instead of flipping his lid, Tails calmly came forward to explain everything. Sonic joined him to offer his part of the story. When it was finally done, they were convinced as to what had happened to bring the robot there, but not about Tails' story or Metal Sonic's sincerity. A thought passed through Metal Sonic's mind. "Activate visual memory file M.T.P." Then he slowly stood up as his neon eyes glowed blindingly bright and projected an image onto the nearby wall. It showed a very young Tails curled up next to the robot, cuddled up close and softly snoring. Then it switched to an image of Knothole as it had been four years ago. Little Tails was then shown standing on the doorstep of Sonic's house, then entering. Everyone except Tails himself was thoroughly shocked by this revelation. "Oh _man,_" Bunny said, sitting down abruptly. Sonic thought a moment and asked, "If he's known where Knothole was for this long, then why didn't he tell Egghead where to find us?" The answer was immediate. "Because I promised not to," Metal Sonic stated, "It was part of the bargain I made with Tails. I would not tell Eggman where Knothole was if he did not tell you of our time together. He has kept his side of the deal and I have kept mine. I wish to join your number." This was a huge shock to pretty much everyone. Metal Sonic had always been one of their fiercest adversaries, fighting not just out of a sense of duty to his creator but also out of sheer hatred of them, but now it appeared that he was defecting to their side.


	3. Infiltration

Sally, being the leader of the group, looked at the robot and said skeptically, "And how can we be sure you're sincere now?" There wasn't even a pause this time around. Rather than answering her question, he turned to face Shadow. "Shadow," Metal Sonic said, "Maria is alive." The black hedgehog actually flinched at the mention of her name. Shadow's red eyes narrowed dangerously as old hurt quickly became anger. He abruptly snarled, "Why should I believe _you?_" Metal Sonic took this outburst in stride, replying, "Because it is true. I can prove it." Shadow's face twisted in a foul-tempered sneer as he growled in a low, threatening voice, "Go on. _I dare you._" There was a moment of total silence as Metal Sonic thought, "Activate audio memory file Maria One." A split second later, the perfect silence was broken by a stunning female voice that seemed to come from both everywhere and nowhere. There were no words to it at all, just a series of eight perfect notes sliding smoothly up and down the register. Upon hearing the first note, Shadow abruptly stiffened as if he had just been shot in the back. A moment later, the voice was singing an indescribably beautiful melody. Shadow's normally level voice quivered as he whispered; "Stop it." The song continued, its sheer beauty freezing everyone right where they stood, giving them no choice but to listen. A flood of tears was streaming down Shadow's face as he lunged forward to put all of his strength into a brutal shove that sent the robot down to the ground. His voice broke as he shouted, "Stop it! _Stop it, you lousy little tin-plated buffoon!_" The song abruptly cut off as Metal Sonic hit the floor. Not even pausing, Shadow let his momentum carry him into a top speed sprint out of the room. Sally called out, "Shadow! Shadow,_ come back!_ Hey, somebody catch him…" Already moving, Sonic replied, "I'm already on it!" Then he dashed out of the room in a blue blur. Getting back up off the floor in the wake of Shadow's departure, Metal Sonic explained, "Maria is cryogenically frozen in a stasis chamber at the heart of Motor City. According to my calculations, she was frozen three months after her supposed death." Tails abruptly cut in, "We have to get her out of there! If she and Shadow are reunited, it'll do wonders for Shadow! Besides, she's the granddaughter of one of the greatest scientific minds of all time. Who knows how helpful she could be to our cause? Who knows, maybe she's even smarter than Eggman?" Amy agreed, "If it'll tick Eggman off, I'm all for it. Let's go rescue her." Metal Sonic stated, "I will lead you into Motor City. I know the city's hidden passageways far better than any of you do." Tails stepped forward, already trusting the robot completely, and beckoned to the others to follow him. Amy trusted Tails, so she was the next one to follow. Sally shrugged and stepped forward, willing to go along with it just to set Eggman off. Knuckles grumbled a series of scathing expletives under his breath as he reluctantly moved forward to join the rest of the group, giving Metal Sonic a death glare as he walked by. He was the only one unwilling to go on the expedition or trust the robot's words. Everyone else was okay with giving it a try. That fact in itself made him angry.

As all this was taking place, Sonic finally found Shadow sitting by a large pond, looking up at the crescent moon. Rather than saying anything about what had just happened in Tails' workshop, Shadow pointed up at the sky and said in a surprisingly soft voice, "Look, you can see Space Colony ARK from here." Sonic looked and, sure enough, the space station was visible as a bright point of light in the clear night sky, its brightness second only to that of the moon. Shadow gave a huge sigh and said sadly, "Maria would have loved it here. She lived her whole life up there." Sonic came up beside him and asked, "Why are you so set against the possibility that Metal Sonic just may be right?" Shadow balled his fists and cried, _"Because I saw them shoot her!" _There was a momentary pause as the two hedgehogs stared at each other. Then Sonic asked, "Did you see her die?" Shadow interrupted, "What does that—" Not about to be sidetracked, Sonic barked, _"Did you see her die?"_ Looking down, Shadow answered softly, "I didn't really _see_ it, but…" Giving him no time to finish the sentence, Sonic asked, "Then how are you so sure she died? That's it! You're not certain! She may be alive! If there was even the slightest possibility that she may still live, wouldn't you take that chance?" There was a long pause. Then Sonic asked, "How did you escape that day?" Shadow sighed at having to remember, and then answered, "Maria put me in an escape pod and jettisoned it. The pod was getting shot at, so I used Chaos Control to warp myself and it to the surface." Not even missing a beat, Sonic inquired, "What might that have looked like to her?" The dark hedgehog shrugged. "I don't really know," he said, "It must have looked like the pod disappeared in a flash of light." Relentless in trying to make his point, Sonic continued, "So something getting shot at appears to explode and disappear. What do you think Maria would have thought of that?" Shadow said nothing, Sonic's point beginning to take shape in his mind. Almost yelling, Sonic said, "It probably looked like the pod had been totally destroyed! She must have thought you were _dead,_ you moron! Are you going to let her go on thinking she lost you? From what you've told me, she lost everything she ever knew! You're all she has now! She needs you, so go to her!" Shadow's mood shifted around completely at that. "Let's _do_ this," he said. As they began to head back, significantly slower than before, Sonic said, "Of course you realize we'll have to trust Metal Sonic to get us into Motor City. Are you willing to do that, faker?" Shadow was the most focused and determined Sonic had ever seen him as he replied softly, "_Anything_ for Maria, faker."

They set out bright and early the next morning and were on the outskirts of Motor City by dawn. It was then that Metal Sonic took the lead. Bunny had been left behind to keep watch over things around Knothole in everyone else's absence. Looking around nervously, Amy asked, "Why are we doing this during the day?" Turning to fix her with his neon gaze, Metal Sonic replied, "Security is tighter during the night." Knuckles walked by, giving the robot a sideways glance as he warmed up for a possible fight. "I don't know, man," he said frankly, "Security's _always_ been tight around here." Metal Sonic replied, "But this time you have an insider to aid you. I know secret ways to get through Motor City undetected." Shadow was hopping up and down like an excited toddler in dire need of a potty break, which drew some _very_ strange looks from everyone except for Sonic. His voice fairly dripped with impatience as he whined, "Come _on._ Shouldn't we be _going_ now?" Sonic lightly cuffed him on the arm and hissed, "_Hey!_ There's no sense rushing into it without a plan! We're not going to do Maria any good if we're captured, hear?" Shadow quieted down at that, for once not arguing with Sonic. Not quite meeting Metal Sonic's neon red eyes, Sally stepped forward and said nervously, "So… I guess we should be going now…" The blue-hued robot nodded, and then requested, "Allow me to take the lead. The areas ahead are very dangerous." Sally just nodded silently as Sonic stepped up behind her and called to all the others, _"Hey, guys, we're going!"_ Shadow jumped up and was right next to the blue hedgehog in an instant. Everyone else followed his lead, quickly falling into step behind their robotic guide. Metal Sonic led them into the city without another word.

"Is this Motor City?" Tails' voice cut through the almost perfect blackness. Metal Sonic turned back to face him, the bright neon red glow of his eyes providing the lot of them with their first real look at where they were: a sewer. Trying not to breathe too much, Sonic deadpanned, "Offhand, Tails, I'd say this is Sewage City." Near the back, Knuckles gagged a few times before exclaiming, "Sweet jalapeno Christmas trees! The stench is awful!" Fidgeting, Amy sort of grumbled, "Tell me again why we're standing knee-deep in industrial waste?" Metal Sonic didn't turn to face her as he answered, "Because this leads to the exhaust vents and only maintenance workers ever go there. This is the safest way in." Shadow, who was now far paler than anyone had ever seen him before, muttered, "The safest way in, huh? They can probably smell us from a mile off!" Metal Sonic replied, "Robots have no sense of smell." There was a short pause. "Lucky you," Sally said, green in the face. Off to the side, Knuckles was throwing up. "Aw, _man!_ There goes breakfast!" Amy put her hand on his shoulder and said, "I feel your pain, buddy." Then she was sick herself. Unfortunately, Sally was standing right in front of her at that point. "Hey! Watch where you're barfing, Amy!" Quickly recovering from almost being puked on, Sally called up to Metal Sonic, "When you said this area was dangerous I thought you meant dangerous as in lots of enemies, not dangerous as in toxic waste and sewer stink!" Up near the front, Shadow abruptly stopped right in his tracks, turned to the side and promptly hurled all over the nearby wall. Sonic turned, put a hand on Shadow's twitching shoulder and said, "So even the ultimate life form has to puke, huh?" Shadow gave him a light swat and growled halfheartedly, "Shut up, faker." Tails, who was now near the front since the two hedgehogs had stopped, snorted, suppressing laughter that quickly became gagging. Sally felt woozy before she finally puked. The only one not gagging, barfing or some ungodly shade of green was Metal Sonic, who had no idea what was wrong with them.

Sonic's eyes bugged out, and then he clapped both hands over his mouth, ran to the nearest corner and threw up. Shadow, who had recovered somewhat, snickered at that and said, "I was wondering when you'd lose it." Sonic just gave him a dirty look, saying nothing. Up ahead, Tails was glad he'd skipped breakfast as he fidgeted with his small leather knapsack. Sally held her breath while Knuckles held his nose. After an excruciating length of time, Metal Sonic pointed to what looked like a large grate and said, "Here is where we enter Motor City. I have chosen to enter through the maintenance facility so you can take care of your… problems." Near the back, Shadow raised his ruby eyes to the ceiling, clasped his hands together as if in prayer and said, "Thank you, God." Sonic was convulsing with laughter at seeing that, also having recovered slightly, but not as much as Shadow had. Before they moved on, Shadow smacked him upside the head, but with far less force than usual. Metal Sonic opened the large and obscenely heavy grate with ridiculous ease and held it open as all the others headed through. It was way too heavy for anyone else to handle, so he alone could do it. As Knuckles walked past, last in line, he turned to the robot and growled, "Let's get one thing straight, okay? We are _not_ coming back this way." The crimson echidna turned and followed the others out of the sewer and into the city, quietly grumbling a string of vile expletives and gagging as he went.

Metal Sonic stood guard as the Freedom Fighters put the cooling vents to new use, scrubbing themselves off with a vicious intensity like nothing the robot had ever seen in his entire existence. He himself had snatched up a rag and was wiping the sewer muck off. Putrid browns, greens and blacks gave way to the usual shining azure as he contemplated his extreme reluctance to even _consider_ doing something like that ever again. All went well with the cleanup… until Sonic accidentally splashed Shadow. The dark hedgehog snagged a nearby hose and drenched his blue twin. Sonic quickly did the same, spraying Shadow right in the face. Soon two very wet hedgehogs were chasing each other around the room. Sally groaned, "I know I should stop those two, but, heck, they're drying themselves off." Beside her, Amy stepped up and yelled, "Hey! Let's go rescue _Maria, _shall we?" No sooner had she said that name than Shadow came to a screeching halt, practically running into a wall. Sonic made a more dignified stop, actually bothering to slow down first. By that time they were both completely dry. Clean and no longer stinky, they moved on. Everyone was a whole lot happier at that, including Sonic and Shadow, who had forgotten their rivalry for the time being, concentrating on the task at hand.

Gaining access to the citywide computer network, Metal Sonic used another code he'd created to fake a blackout in their area of the security grid. Finished, he turned to the rest and said, "We should still move quickly. This blackout may end up being very short." Everyone nodded. Metal Sonic did one last thing before disconnecting from the computer network. "Maria is in cellblock beta-omega." Shadow jumped up and said, "What are you _waiting_ for? _Lead the way!_" Metal Sonic interrupted, "Wait." Pushing past both hedgehogs, he went up to Tails. "Tails," he said, putting his steel hand on the child's shoulder, "You are the only one I trust. I fear what may lie ahead. Eggman was once my master, and he may still hold some sway over my actions. He has a remote control for use in extreme situations, and he can override my will. If he does so, Tails, I want you to destroy me." Tails' bright blue eyes were huge with shock, horror and dread as he echoed, "Destroy… you?" The robot nodded, showing that he was dead serious about what he had just said. "Yes, Tails. Do not hesitate and show no mercy. If such comes to pass, I will fight with all my strength. If I regain control I will say Chaos Topaz. If I say those words, it is safe so do not strike." Tails just nodded mutely, very much unsettled by what he had just heard. Then they all set off running again.

Metal Sonic, Shadow and Sonic himself were in the lead, using their shared superior speed to their advantage. Tails was up in the air spinning his twin tails like mad while Knuckles just glided along overhead and everybody else just tried to keep up as best they could. The hallway resounded with the roar of the robotic hedgehog's turbine jetpack. They all came to a quick stop when they entered cellblock beta-omega. Metal Sonic input his special override code and opened a nearby door as everyone entered the room that lay beyond it. On the other side of the fairly barren room they saw a very large semi-metallic cylinder. Machines set in its sides hummed and whirred, connected to the wall via a series of long black wires. The front part of it was made out of glass, but it was covered with a thick layer of frost. Obviously it hadn't been touched for a long time. Shadow slowly stepped forward, looking a heck of a lot meeker than he ever had before, and laid a shaking hand upon the frost-covered glass. The warmth of his touch melted the layers of frost he made contact with, sending dribbles of water down the sides of the glass part of the cylinder. Where the dribbles passed by, clearing off the glass wherever they touched, he could just barely make out a color, and that color was a pale sky blue. Something hidden deep down inside him shivered as he abruptly moved his hand to wipe a wide swath of the frost away. Instantly visible in starkest relief was the pale face of a young woman no more than twenty years of age. Hair the color of spun gold framed her pale, perfect face, pulled back by a light blue headband. She wore a sky blue dress and her slender, graceful hands were clasped over her slim chest, barely hiding a largish splotch of jarring rusty red that was obviously blood. "Maria," Shadow said, his normally smooth voice breaking. The insides of her delicate wrists were red, raw masses of cuts and old scar tissue, irrefutable evidence of suicide attempts too numerous to count. Shadow actually flinched upon seeing these, and upon seeing the expression frozen on her sleeping face. Tears were frozen on her cheeks and an unbearable anguish twisted her fragile-looking features. His voice quivered as he said softly, "We have got to get her out of here." Metal Sonic stepped up beside him and interrupted, "We cannot do it here, Shadow. The revival process takes a significant amount of time, time that we do not have. I would suggest that we transport her back to Knothole and revive her there." Tails walked around the stasis chamber, looking it over with a critical eye. Then he gave his verdict on Metal Sonic's plan. "This unit is self-contained, so it would work. We have to get this stasis chamber back to Knothole somehow. But how in the world are we going to do that?" Metal Sonic would have shrugged if he had been able to. As it was, he answered, "I do not know how to go about pursuing that goal, Tails." Holding up the Chaos Emerald, Shadow grinned abruptly and said, "I could use Chaos Control and warp this thing home, and then I'll warp back. Then we can all run away from here like a group of frightened deer." He laid one hand upon the stasis chamber and with the other he raised the Chaos Emerald high. Focusing his mind on Tails' workshop at the exclusion of all else, he called out, _"Chaos Control!"_ There was a flash of bright yet pale blue light and then both Shadow and the stasis chamber were gone. A moment later, there was another flash of that same pale blue light and Shadow was back in the room. "Okay," he said, "I just left her in your workshop, Tails, since I had no idea of where else to go. Now let's get out of here." Everyone nodded at that suggestion and prepared to take off running.


	4. You knew it couldn't be that easy

Then everything went nuts around the lot of them. Alarms blared loudly as strobe lights flashed. Metal Sonic saw all of this and said calmly, "Our little blackout appears to have ended." Previously inactive security cameras in the room hummed to life and fixed on the group. The voice of the Freedom Fighters' adversary and Metal Sonic's former master blared out from a loudspeaker set in the upper corner of the room. **"Ah! My traitorous creation has returned. Welcome home, my servant."** Metal Sonic almost flinched at hearing that voice. Then he drew himself up tall, faced the nearest security camera, shook his fist and said defiantly, "I no longer serve you, Eggman! I am a Freedom Fighter now!" Evil laughter resounded in everyone's ears for a moment. **"Such defiance, my creation. Have you forgotten so soon what I hold over you even now?"** There was a long pause, during which there was only silence from everyone present. **"You know the fate of traitors to the glorious Empire of Eggman."** Metal Sonic abruptly clutched at his chest and doubled over with a distorted-sounding shriek, convulsing as if in an insane amount of pain. Berserk electricity crawled along his body. Sparks flew everywhere as the air was filled with the sound of grating gears and overheating machinery as the robot fought against his programming. A clot of thick, black, greasy smoke issued forth from his turbine. In the depths of his sundered, tortured mind he realized that what he was fighting was the most basic precept of his core programming: obey his creator and master. He could remember a time when such would have been fine. That was before his creator had betrayed him and tried to destroy him. He would **_NOT_** obey! Redirected hatred and sheer defiance fueled his desperate battle to overcome it as he directed all of his strength to the task at hand. But his programming proved to be too strong for him to combat as he fell to his knees, and then almost gracefully collapsed with what sounded kind of like a weak moan. Tails knelt by Metal Sonic's motionless, smoking body, then looked up at the nearest security camera and shouted in an outraged voice, _"You killed him!"_ The answer to that shouted statement was almost immediate. **"Not so! I merely… _convinced_ him to see things my way." **Tails gave a loud yelp and jumped about five feet straight back as the fallen robot abruptly began to move, slowly standing up and glaring at the Freedom Fighters with great hatred as he prepared to fight. **"You have befriended Metal Sonic, whose sole purpose in life was to eradicate the lot of you. I think it only fitting that _he_ be the one to destroy you."** Remembering the robot's last request, Tails led the attack. Everyone else followed him in with no delay, also remembering. The fight was a whole heck of a lot easier than it would have been before the robot's defection. Tails could have sworn that, at certain key moments during the fight, the _true_ Metal Sonic gazed out from behind those neon eyes. He'd never thought a robot could have a soul, but such was the case with Metal Sonic. Sometimes, during the fight, the robot would freeze in place oddly, just for a single moment, during which it looked as if some great struggle was taking place somewhere deep within him. Was he truly resisting Eggman's control over him? Was this what he had meant by fighting back? These odd freezing moments most often occurred when he was about to dodge a powerful hit and made it totally impossible for him to dodge in time to avoid the hit, as if the true Metal Sonic _wanted_ the lot of them to take him down. But that didn't stop him or even slow him as he finally lunged forward and knocked Sonic down. The robot stood over his flesh and blood counterpart, lethal steel claws held at the blue hedgehog's throat. It looked like this was the end for poor Sonic… But then Metal Sonic froze right where he stood, shuddering slightly, appearing to be caught in the greatest internal struggle yet. The robot looked as if he was fighting against paralysis. His neon eyes dimmed, showing how divided his attention was between the task at hand and what was going on inside him. A few oddly strangled sounds were audible, as if Metal Sonic was trying to speak and something was preventing him from doing so. The strained sounds resolved into a single word. "…Strike…" Sonic gaped. The robot's tremors worsened considerably as the battle raging inside him built in intensity. "…I am… in control…" His voice was a little bit stronger, but a lot more urgent. Metal Sonic was pleading now. "…Strike now…" Wasting no more time, Sonic leapt up and struck with all his strength. He sent the robot flying across the room to strike the opposite wall with his back. There was a sharp crack and Metal Sonic's neon eyes flickered dangerously, evidence of massive internal damage. He stayed there for a long moment as if stuck to the partially broken wall like a swatted fly. Then his legs finally gave out and he slowly slid down to lie against the wall in a sprawling position. Thin streams of sparks leaped from his joints like an erratic heartbeat. His eyes flickered wildly as he shook a little. A moment later, he made one weak attempt to stand back up, and then he was still. His neon eyes had dimmed considerably, but they still flickered like crazy.

The whole battle had lasted just a few minutes. It only took one look for Tails to see that Metal Sonic was badly damaged and his internal gyroscope was disabled. All the robot could do was stay put, since he had no sense of balance. His internal systems were trying their hardest to make the necessary repairs, but it was happening far too slowly to help him in any way. "I'll finish this," Shadow said in a low, threatening voice, stepping forward and brandishing the Chaos Emerald with a ferocious intensity. Tails shook his head and replied in a soft voice, "No. _I_ made the promise. _I'll _do it." The dark hedgehog obediently backed off, understanding how the young fox felt. He understood the meaning of promises all too well. Tails stepped forward and took careful aim. Just as he was going to deliver the finishing blow, Metal Sonic jerked feebly where he lay, struggled to look up at Tails and spoke. "Chaos Topaz." Tails relaxed at that, even though Metal Sonic's words were barely audible past the roaring static that filled his voice. "He let me go," the robot said, seemingly incredulous at having been released in his most dire moment. "He wanted me to face your final strike as myself." He tried to stand up and failed miserably. All he could manage was a weak, undignified squirming motion since he couldn't figure out which way was up now that his gyroscope was offline. Even if his gyroscope hadn't been offline, he probably wouldn't have been able to stand up anyway. "Stay down," Tails said, forestalling any other attempts. Following the young fox's suggestion, Metal Sonic gave up on trying to stand up. Off to the side, Sonic swiftly took out all the security cameras with Knuckles backing him up. Now they just had to escape before anything else happened. But how would they get out of there? Shadow prepared to use Chaos Control again, this time on all of them. Seeing that, Sonic shook his head and called out, "Hey! You can't do this alone and you know it!" The blue hedgehog stepped up to his black counterpart. Then he said, "I'm going to help you. Do we buddy up on the Chaos Emerald?" Shadow shook his head and answered, "Last time we did that neither of us could move for a week, remember?" Sonic looked down at that and muttered, "Sure wish _I_ had a Chaos Crystal too…" Off to the side, kneeling by the fallen Metal Sonic and helping out as much as he could which really wasn't much at all, Tails yelled out, "Hey! Sonic!" Then he reached into his little knapsack and pulled out the Chaos Topaz. "Catch!" Tossing it to Sonic, he turned to the rest and got them ready for the upcoming teleportation home. Tails' took Metal Sonic's hand and reached out to Sally, who laid a hand on Amy's shoulder. Amy grabbed Knuckles' hand. Knuckles put a hand on Sonic's shoulder. Sonic and Shadow were both holding their Chaos Crystals in one hand, each putting their free hand on the other's shoulder. Everyone stood still and waited silently as Sonic and Shadow used Chaos Control in tandem, sweeping them all back to Knothole.


	5. Not the Maria you knew, Shadow

The next few hours passed in relative quiet, everyone either resting or working quietly on personal projects or helping others. Tails worked on repairing Metal Sonic's massive damage and the robot shut down for a while to recharge his power core. Maria was fully thawed, but she remained unconscious. Having studied the principles behind cryogenic technology a little bit, Tails understood why that was. He explained to Shadow, "All this time, she was caught between being awake and being asleep, not really doing either one. Just let her sleep it off for a while, since she didn't really sleep for the longest time." Maria was placed in the infirmary, in a large bed. Shadow pulled up a chair and sat by the bedside. He didn't leave her side, not even once. Sonic checked up on him later that evening and found him slumped over in his chair, softly snoring. Sonic pulled a folded-up sheet out of a nearby closet and spread it over the sleeping Shadow, who cuddled the blanket to him with a soft sigh. A moment later, Sonic blinked stupidly. His tough, macho archrival was sucking his thumb like a small child. He would have laughed at any other time, but this situation was no laughing matter. His archrival had just learned that the only person he'd ever cared about hadn't died after all. Smiling to himself, he whispered, "You know, you're pretty cute when you're asleep, faker." Then he quietly left the room; thoughtfully turning out the light behind him so both of them could sleep in peace.

Maria awakened at around midnight. She silently sat up where she lay, scanning the dark room. Her gaze missed the sleeping Shadow, eventually coming to a rest on the faint glow of the Chaos Emerald, which Shadow had placed on a small table at the foot of her bed. Reaching out, she picked it up and drew it to her. _This was to have been Shadow's Chaos Crystal,_ she thought. The memory hurt her deeply. _How could I have been so wrong? _She pulled her old photograph out of her pocket, gazing upon the image of herself and baby Shadow. _Shadow_…_ I asked you to protect the people of this world_… Now this was her only way to remember those happier times. _I see the error of my ways now. _That and the Chaos Emerald that now lay before her. _In memory of me, you would protect them. _Suddenly, she had an absolutely wicked idea that brought a grin to her face. _In memory of you, I will destroy them. _Spying a smallish tray of surgical tools on a nearby table, she seized a scalpel and a small diamond saw. Placing the photograph next to the tray, then lying back down and loosening her stained shirt, she exposed the partially healed bullet wound. The bullet had hit her squarely in the sternum, and that had saved her from certain death. Taking up the scalpel, she placed the blade against the top of the wound and gently yet firmly pushed downward. The pale flesh parted easily beneath the exquisitely sharp blade, adding a sudden rush of new, fresh blood to the old dried blood that already stained her shirt. There was no pain to her. It didn't pass through the thick haze of numbness that filled her mind and body. Moving with the quick precision known only to those growing up with medical tools and knowledge, she expertly peeled the layers of flesh and muscle away from her sternum, exposing the white, slick bone itself. She blinked for a moment, disgusted at the sight of exposed bone. It was almost sickening, but she soon realized that she felt nothing at all. The exposed bone meant nothing to her, as did the blood that was just about everywhere. Now placing the blood-drenched scalpel back in the tray and switching over to the diamond saw, she cut out a splinter of bone the size of a pen cap and placed it on the tray. Picking up the Chaos Emerald and applying the diamond saw to its bottommost facet, she carefully cut out a splinter the exact same size and shape as the one that she had just cut from herself. Putting the diamond saw down right by the bone shard, she took the chip she had taken from the Chaos Emerald and placed it into the hole that she had gouged from the center of her sternum, where it fit perfectly like a gem in a facet. She expertly cleaned out the wound and disinfected everything that could possibly need it. Then, picking up a thin little curved needle and some special naturally biodegradable thread, she sewed herself up, leaving the small shard of Chaos Emerald implanted just beneath her skin. She only made a lame, halfhearted attempt to clean the blood off of herself because she didn't care, leaving the bloodstained cloth on the bed beside her. The bed was now completely red with her blood, but she didn't notice, much less care. That task done, she stood, took up the Chaos Emerald in her bloody hands, marring its perfect glowing surface with her smeared blood, and placed it right back where she had initially picked it up. Fixing up her soaked shirt, paying no mind to the blood that now drenched it, she stood back up and headed for the door. _Shadow,_ she thought, _It's here. Your Chaos Crystal is a part of me now. You made a promise to me, a long time ago. Now it is **MY** turn to make a promise. But how can I?_ She searched her memory… and she knew. "The Eclipse Cannon," she whispered with a faint smile of triumph. Walking out to where she could see the night sky, she stared up at the bright spot of light that was Space Colony ARK and said softly, "Chaos Control." The pale blue light that enveloped her came from somewhere deep within her lithe little body, but it swept her away just the same.

Back in the infirmary, stuck in the blackest depths of his turbulent, fitful dreams, Shadow relived certain events in the sad past and remembered the dark, twisted version of the promise he had made to Maria when he had thought her to be dead. _For the people of this world, I promise you revenge!_ The voice that spoke those fateful words, however, was most definitely not his voice. It actually sounded bizarrely feminine and what was even more bizarre was that he almost thought he could recognize this odd new voice.

"_**NOOOO! MARIAAAA!"**_ The resounding shriek awakened all of Knothole and brought them running to the infirmary. There they found Shadow staring at all the blood, the tools and the bone shard most of all. Maria was gone, but there was blood everywhere. Trembling all over, he whispered, "What… what could have done this? _Who could have done this?_" Metal Sonic was scanning the scalpel at maximum magnification, looking for any fingerprints. Then he said, "The only fingerprints that I can find on the surface of this scalpel are Maria's." Shadow turned to face the robot and gasped, "She did this to herself?" He then saw the photograph she had left behind and picked it up. Staring at it intently, he could faintly remember when it had been taken. It hadn't been anything really special. Doctor Gerald had taken the picture while Maria was helping him learn to walk. He murmured, "She _kept_ it…" Off to the side, Sonic studied the blood-splattered Chaos Emerald and noticed that part of it was missing. "Hey, Shadow! Look! Somebody vandalized your Emerald!" Looking at the bone shard and the hole in the gem, he quickly got an idea. Picking up the bone shard in one hand and holding the Chaos Emerald in the other, he said loudly, "Guys, take a look at this." Then, holding both items high, he put the bone shard into the hole, where it fit so perfectly that it eventually had to be pried out. Knuckles followed the trail Maria had left behind, and then found that it abruptly vanished. He ran back in and quickly reported to the others, "I followed her trail outside, but it just stops suddenly as if she disappeared or something. The weird thing is I sensed Chaos energy there, right in the same spot as where her tracks disappeared. I sensed energy almost identical to Shadow's Chaos Control! Maria has the shard taken from the Chaos Emerald, and she can _use_ it! I don't know why or how, but _Maria can use Chaos Control!_" Scratching his head, Sonic wondered, "But where the heck would she _go?_" Their question was answered by a frantic shouted call from outside. They quickly followed the loud cry to the transmission interceptor, where Sally had just discovered something very disturbingly familiar that was being broadcasted worldwide on all frequencies.

There was an image of a woman standing against a starry background framed by all sorts of machinery. It was Maria, and the look of utter desolation in her eyes frightened them all. The stitched-up wound was partially visible through her shirt's low collar, and they realized _exactly_ what she had done with the shard she had taken from the Chaos Emerald. Sonic gasped, "Holy cow… She cut herself open and put it _inside_ her?" Blood drenched her clothes and soaked her forearms up to the elbows. It was even smeared on her face a little bit. Her pale face was totally blank and emotionless, but grief and a towering rage were visible in her blue eyes. Then she spoke, and her voice chilled Shadow with its cold lifelessness. She sounded… _evil._ "I am Maria, granddaughter of Gerald, sister and mother to Shadow. This is a death sentence for the entire planet. Based on my grandfather's initial calculations, I have discovered that the seven Chaos Crystals are unnecessary for the operation of the Eclipse Cannon this time. The Eclipse Cannon was charged up at one point in the past but the firing sequence was aborted. It still retains the charge for that aborted shot. In twenty-four hours, it will fire and vaporize everything you know and hold dear. You who took away all I had must prepare to feel the pain you inflicted upon me! You took everything away from me save my life, so now I shall take _your_ lives!" Her face was insane as she laughed triumphantly. Shadow, holding the now cleaned up Chaos Emerald, staggered as a voice cut through his mind. (_Can you see me, Shadow? I'm doing it. I'm really doing it._) Recovering, he fairly cried, "I can _feel_ her! I can feel her in my mind!" Knuckles replied, "The Chaos Emerald is linked to you. Even the part of it that now resides within Maria." The apparent connection between him and the insane Maria struck him again, sweeping him away into painful, turbulent memories of the past.

Another voice seemed to speak through him, the voice of a much more innocent Maria voicing thoughts that must have run through her mind as she sent Shadow to safety. "So it's come to this. I feared Grandpa's research into the creation of the ultimate life form would end badly. So I'll seal you away, dark demon born of a twisted dream. And you too, my glorious Shadow. Yes, I'll seal you both away… _and give you to the future!_" The voice seemed to emanate from somewhere within Shadow, although he wasn't speaking.

…_She stood at the window, hand resting against the wound on her chest, watching the pod containing Shadow fall away. "Sayonara, Shadow the hedgehog." Her eyes widened as laser beams cut through the endless night of space. They were close to the pod, so close, so _close…_ There was a bright flash, a flash that killed her soul. The pod was gone. Tears flooded from her wide eyes as she screamed, **"SHADOW! NOOOO!"** She slumped to the ground, giving up and willing herself to die as the soldiers came closer. Perhaps they would put her out of her misery. But no, they were going to try to save her life. As they called a medic to tend to her, she whispered, "Oh, no_…_ Shadow_…_ I failed you_…_" She could have withstood losing her home. She could even have withstood losing her grandfather. But losing Shadow was more than she could bear. There was no reason for her to live. Her whispered refrain quickly changed. "Die now. Just die, Maria. Die." Everything shifted around her, and inside her. The world changed as something great and terrible rose to replace the innocent child that had died with Shadow. She wanted revenge. She wanted to die. If her captors wanted her to live, then she would kill herself just to spite them. Let them save her. It would only make her suicidal revenge sweeter_…

Shadow was sitting on the floor, head down to hide the tears in his eyes as he whispered, "I understand now, Maria… I understand…" Recovering quickly, he looked at everyone else and said in an extremely urgent-sounding voice, "We have to stop her! In her mind, she's doing this for _me!_ As I wanted to destroy the world in her name so long ago, so now she wants to destroy the world in _my_ name!" Sonic smacked himself and said, "Man, it's _you_ all over again." Shadow slapped him, Sonic retaliated with a swift kick and a fight would have most definitely followed had the situation not been as dire as it was. Knowing full well that they had to hurry up or risk death, the Freedom Fighters wasted absolutely no time as they scoured the entire world for the other Chaos Crystals. Knowing exactly what was going on with Space Colony ARK and the Eclipse Cannon, fully aware of recent events and realizing that they could only succeed and avoid certain death by working together, Doctor Eggman gave them the Chaos Onyx and let Motor City run on its emergency generators. It took all of twenty-three hours to gather all of the Chaos Crystals together for the journey ahead. Knuckles even went up to his floating home and fetched the Master Emerald from its place, realizing that the possibility of Angel Island falling from the sky wasn't going to be of any concern if they failed. If Maria could truly wield the power of the Chaos Emerald, then the Master Emerald's innate power would probably hold some sway over her. It wasn't much of an advantage or a plan, but it was a start.


	6. Definitely not the Maria you knew

"I don't understand how she could have changed so much," Shadow said, "She was always sweet and kind when I knew her." Tails replied, "Shadow, she's spent fifty years in stasis, forced to relive her most traumatic memories nonstop. Even the strongest mind would crack under such pressure." Sonic scratched his head and said, "So she went insane? Maria's a raving lunatic psycho now?" Shadow smacked him upside the head and fairly snarled, "_Don't talk about her that way, _faker!" Sonic rubbed his head and replied, "Jeez, faker… You know as well as I that she's gone completely mad!" Tails cut in, "Mad with grief, maybe…" Right then, Sally stepped up and commanded, "Sonic, Shadow, you two are going to go face her. I'm sure she'll probably listen to you, Shadow. Tails, you've been here before so you lead Metal Sonic to the cannon. Metal Sonic, you follow Tails. Stop that cannon by any means necessary." Metal Sonic nodded and said, "I will do so." Tails yelled out, "I'm ready to go!" Then she continued, "Knuckles, you're with us and we're following Sonic and Shadow to lend what help we can, if any." The echidna nodded quietly, and then stretched languidly as he prepared for a fight. "I can do that," he said with a smile. A moment later, she said, "Sonic, Shadow, we need you to use Chaos Control to take us up there." Tails had held on to the Chaos Topaz since their initial excursion, and he quickly handed it to Sonic without a word. The two of them used Chaos Control in unison to take all of the Freedom Fighters up to Space Colony ARK.

Sonic and Shadow split off from the rest of the group almost immediately, taking off at the prodigious speed they were both so famous for. Tails took off whirling his twin tails at a fantastic speed, while Metal Sonic revved up his turbine and was gone shortly after the young fox's departure. Knuckles quickly waved for everyone to hurry up and follow him, then leapt straight up into the air and started gliding in that same peculiar way of his. Sally and Amy just ran after him with all possible speed, trusting him to lead them. Knuckles happened to be a little bit faster than the both of them, so they just followed him and kept up as best they could. The two hedgehogs were already long gone, but Knuckles could follow their trail. If he could hunt down hidden treasure with nothing other than his own two hands, he could certainly track two hedgehogs through the hallways of an abandoned space station. Sally and Amy were counting on him to get them there, and he would most certainly do so. Everyone else was doing their part, even the robotic turncoat who had joined their number not so long ago. The rest of it was up to him, and he would not fail.

"Soon, Shadow…" Reveling in the moment, Maria wrapped her arms around herself and laughed out loud, sounding like a total maniac. "Soon…" The automatic door hissed open behind her. She turned and looked upon Sonic as the door closed up again behind him. Staring at the blue hedgehog with a poignantly wistful look on her face, she eventually said, "You remind me of someone. Who are you?" Sonic stepped forward and said, "The name's Sonic and I'm here to stop you!" Regarding him with a look of mad glee, she replied, "You? _You're_ going to stop me?" She laughed insanely at that thought. "Over my dead body you are!" She flung her arms wide and closed her eyes, concentrating. "Get a load of _this!_" Massive waves of green light exuded from the center of her chest to wash over her entire body, ruffling her bloody dress and making her long blond hair swirl about her twisted face. "You have no chance against me," she said with a foul sneer that looked all the more threatening for the fact that it was coming from such a beautiful face. Lifting up off the ground to float in a haze of brightest green, she proclaimed with a mad laugh, _"I am a living Chaos Crystal!"_ She gathered the energy around her hands and cast out a swift series of lightning bolts. _"Chaos Spear!"_ Sonic knew that attack far too well. He'd seen Shadow use it many times before. _She's got all of Shadow's Chaos powers,_ he thought grimly as he dodged. "See? You can't stop me!" Maria's voice was insanely triumphant as Sonic narrowly dodged another hit. Filling the whole room with a wild storm of pure green fire, she struck him from all sides and sent him down. "The time is near!" Focusing her inner energies to a greater degree than she ever had before, she prepared to finish Sonic off once and for all. Laughing wildly, she proclaimed to the heavens themselves, "I will avenge your foul murder, Shadow!" The door hissed open behind them both, and then closed back up again as someone new entered the room.


	7. A fallen angel

A familiar deep, smooth voice said, "My foul murder, Maria? I think not." Sonic looked to the side and grumbled as he got up, "I was wondering when you'd show up, Shadow." Stepping up closer to his counterpart, Shadow growled softly, "Shut _up,_ faker." Upon hearing that agonizingly familiar voice, the look of insane malice on Maria's face immediately became confusion mixed with hurt and longing. She turned away from Sonic and looked upon Shadow… and she was frozen right where she was. "Maria," he said, his voice quivering. The green aura that had previously swirled around her lithe little body dissipated like fog in the morning sun and she sank ungracefully to the ground. The last dregs of it swirled into nothingness as she stood back up and steadied herself. Shadow stared at her, at her bloody hands and her stained dress, feeling a momentary twinge of doubt enter his mind. Could this vengeful, bloodstained revenant really be his sweet, innocent Maria? How could she have become this mad, ghoulish creature? "Shadow," she whispered, choking on the word. She fell to her knees with a muffled sob, bloody hands covering her face. He went to her side and she wrapped her arms around him, laying her head against his chest and crying her heart out. Shadow just held her and let her hold him, whispering soothing words and feeling tears running down his face. Off to the side, Sonic just smiled. "I knew you had it in you, faker," he said softly. He saw Knuckles lead the rest onto the scene and watched as they froze at the sight of the tableau unfolding before their very eyes. Sonic looked at Knuckles and gave him a thumbs-up sign to let him know that everything was okay now. Rather than calming down in any way, Knuckles shook his head and silently mouthed, "What about the Eclipse Cannon?" Sonic jumped several feet straight up and cried at the top of his lungs, "Oh no, _the cannon!_" Both Shadow and Maria jumped as well. Pulling apart from Shadow, Maria cried, "We have to stop it somehow!" Shadow silently seconded her proclamation. Tails' voice echoed over the loudspeaker. "Sonic, we couldn't stop it! It's going to fire in precisely two minutes and then it's all over and done with!" Metal Sonic's voice followed. "If you have another plan, I would advise you to do it now." Maria ran to the controls and frantically pressed a series of buttons in rapid succession. Then, failing, she cried, "We already passed the cutoff point! It can't be shut down! It's going to take a miracle of Biblical proportions to stop it now!"

Elbowing Sonic in the side, Shadow said, "That means there's only one chance." Sonic nodded. "You're absolutely right. _We have to undergo the transformation._" Maria returned to Shadow's side, her bright blue eyes clouded with worry, yet also shining with some unreadable emotion. Amy stepped forward and laid the seven Chaos Crystals at their feet. "Then I guess it's a good thing we brought _these_ along," she said quietly. Sonic stood shoulder to shoulder with Shadow, on the dark hedgehog's left. Maria stood unnoticed behind the two of them, staring down at the seven crystals laid before them, her gaze mostly fixed on the Chaos Emerald. The two hedgehogs looked each other in the eye and nodded once, a silent 'here we go' passing between them. Each mirrored the movement of the other as Shadow raised his left hand over his head and Sonic raised his right. Maria bowed her head in silent prayer, raising both her hands toward the heavens in a quiet gesture of supplication to a higher power. As one, they called out, "Chaos… _transformation!_" Maria whispered inaudible words. The seven Chaos Crystals rose off the ground to whirl around them, moving slowly at first but then starting to move faster and faster until they were a multicolored blur in the air. No one noticed that the arc the seven shining gems formed was a little bit larger than was absolutely necessary. There was a blindingly bright kaleidoscopic flash, a little bit too bright, and then two very changed hedgehogs stood side by side, bathed in a nimbus of radiant light. Sonic had taken on the shining metallic golden form of Super Sonic. Striking up a pose and showing off a little, he called, **_"SUPER SONIC!" _**Beside him, Shadow's usual pitch black hue had become the shimmering burnished platinum coloration that was associated with Hyper Shadow. Also posing, he finished with a quiet grin of supreme confidence, **_"HYPER SHADOW!"_**

They were both surprised when a distinctly feminine voice added, **_"ANGELICA!"_** The two transformed hedgehogs turned simultaneously and beheld a shining angel of light standing right behind them. No one had noticed it happening behind the two transforming hedgehogs, but Maria had quietly transformed as well. Two huge white wings had erupted from her slender back and her skin shone like she was made out of glass or crystal of some sort, as did her pale golden hair. The bright blue color of her eyes had intensified a hundredfold. A phantom breeze that no one else could feel stirred her hair and lacy white dress, and an impossibly bright star shone from the very center of her chest where the shard of Chaos Emerald was situated. Correctly anticipating their flurry of questions, she said, "The transformation obviously requires a connection to the Chaos Crystals, judging from my grandfather's study of the Chaos Crystals before Shadow's birth. How much more connected can you get than to have one be a part of you? I _did_ say I was a living Chaos Crystal, didn't I?" Wasting no more time on explanations or anything else of that sort, Super Sonic quickly led Hyper Shadow and Angelica outside. The two transformed hedgehogs hovered in haloes of light, but Angelica merely used her huge wings and flew along like a huge bird. Following along the length of the cannon toward its tip, the three of them passed by Tails and Metal Sonic, who waved at the two hedgehogs and gave Angelica two very confused looks. As they flew onward toward their ever so critical goal, Super Sonic said, "Okay, listen up. We're going to try to reflect the blast out into space and direct a little bit back up into the cannon itself. That should disable it permanently. No more Eclipse Cannon for us to worry about." Hyper Shadow and Angelica just smiled and nodded without a word. Several hundred feet beyond the cannon's tip, the three of them gathered together and linked their hands to form a smallish circle. Energy channeled from the core of the space station down toward the tip of the cannon as it prepared to fire. The three of them called out in one strong voice, _"Chaos Mirror!"_ A huge disc of crackling, multihued energy formed in their linked hands. They split apart and the disc grew with their movements, enlarging to the necessary size. Then the cannon fired, the blast striking the energy disc and reflecting outward into the depths of space. A single tendril snaked back into the cannon, shaking things up as the energy began to grow strange and erratic.

The force of the blast thrust the disc and its three creators down toward the atmosphere. It was getting very dangerous. Any lower and they'd all burn for certain. Angelica said, "I'm probably the strongest one of us. You two get away and I'll hold the disc until the cannon's done firing." Hyper Shadow objected, indignantly "I'm the ultimate life form! _I'm_ the strongest one!" Angelica just retorted, "Well, I'm a living Chaos Crystal! I can do this just as well as you, if not better! Now _scram!_" The two transformed hedgehogs reluctantly cleared out in a hurry, leaving her to hold the disc alone, as per her request. She was thrust closer and closer to the atmosphere and Hyper Shadow began to fear for her. However, she showed no signs of fear and that calmed him down some. It was hard for him to doubt her if she didn't doubt herself. In fact, perhaps he could trust in her power enough to look _away_… Just as the cannon's blast ended, she was thrust across that ever so critical line. The energy disc she had been holding rapidly dissipated as Angelica was seized by gravity and began to fall, just as Shadow had done so long ago when Space Colony ARK had almost plummeted to earth. Her great wings were spread wide, white diamond feathers forming a glittering trail in the sky. Red heat began to lick at her. Yet she made no sound, not crying out or struggling, just seeming to quietly accept it. "This is the path I have chosen." She seemed to not mind that she was falling to her doom. "This is the way it must be." Super Sonic let out a horrified yelp, distracting his platinum-hued counterpart from staring up at the cannon to ascertain whether or not it had been disabled.

Hyper Shadow screamed denial and unhesitatingly dove into the atmosphere after her. He grabbed her slender wrist and cried, "Maria! _No!_ Don't leave me again!" She smiled up at him with all the quiet calm of a saint, but did nothing to even try to arrest her fatal fall. He couldn't help but feel that she seemed _satisfied_ somehow, as if she had fulfilled her duty and was looking forward to the silence of death. Did she… _want_ to die? No! He wouldn't let her die alone! He wouldn't lose her again! Reaching out to wrap his arms around her, he said, "If you're going, I'm going too!" She abruptly reached up to seize both his shoulders in an iron grip. "No, you're not." Her blue eyes were hard and cold as she said to him softly, "_Live,_ Shadow. Live." Then she thrust him away from her with all of her strength, sending him hurtling all the way out of the atmosphere and beyond gravity's reach before he could react. By the time he realized what was happening, what she had done, it was too late to do anything. There was no way he could reach her in time to rescue her… or die with her. She was now only visible to him now as a small spark of white at the heart of a red comet formed of reentry heat, but he could still feel her presence in his mind. (_Sayonara, Shadow the hedgehog._) Hearing those soft, sad words of farewell from her again tore a terrible scream of anguish from him. Her next words to him, however, were cryptic. (_I'll see you_…_ on the other side_…) "I'm coming, Maria! I'm coming!" He would have dove straight into the atmosphere himself had Super Sonic not grabbed him and restrained him. "No! Let me go! I have to go to Maria!" The golden hedgehog dragged his platinum-hued counterpart to safety, kicking and screaming all the way. "I won't let you die again, Shadow, even if you _want_ to die!" It took all of Super Sonic's formidable strength to restrain Hyper Shadow, who fought him with every last ounce of his equally formidable strength in his efforts to go to Maria. "It's too late to do anything for her now, Shadow," Super Sonic said in a low, sad voice, "She's… _gone_…" Hyper Shadow's anguished cry was truly terrible to hear, wrenching a strangled sob from Super Sonic's throat. He just went limp in the golden hedgehog's grip and didn't resist.

_Death or Life? _Angelica, quickly fading back into plain old Maria, held her slender hands out before her and concentrated despite the heat and pain that were consuming her. She had a choice to make. _What do I have to live for? _Far away, back on Space Colony ARK, unnoticed by all as Super Sonic and a very traumatized Hyper Shadow entered and reverted to normal, only six Chaos Crystals rematerialized. _Shadow_… The Chaos Diamond suddenly filled Maria's slender hands. The Chaos Emerald was a part of her, but she had chosen not to summon it to her because it was Shadow's. The same went for the Chaos Topaz and the Chaos Onyx, because they both belonged to Tails and Doctor Eggman respectively. And the Chaos Ruby belonged to Knuckles. Even in a matter of life and death, she would _never_ take something that belonged to another person. That limited her desperate, silent call to the Chaos Sapphire, the Chaos Diamond and the Chaos Amethyst. _I do this not for the world_… She had not actually chosen the Chaos Diamond, but it had been the one to come to her when she called and she would not question its coming to her. _I do this for you. _And so, gripping the glassy gem in both slender hands, she whispered two words, both of them totally inaudible past the roar of superheated air. Then she was gone, as if she had never been there. Far above the world her seemingly suicidal efforts had just saved from certain destruction, a shooting star abruptly winked out of apparent existence long before it would have burned away into nothingness.


	8. Who is that new hedgehog?

Super Sonic reverted to plain old Sonic upon touching the floor where everyone else stood. Tails and Metal Sonic had headed for where everyone else was when they had seen the super trio heading out. Now they watched as Sonic released Hyper Shadow, who reverted even as he crumpled into a sobbing heap on the floor. The traumatized dark hedgehog was completely hysterical, blaming himself for Maria's death and wanting to die. Sonic had to use Chaos Control by himself to get them all home, seeing as Shadow was in no condition for much of anything. Before they left, Amy quickly scooped up the Chaos Crystals and dropped all of them into Tails' knapsack, not bothering to count them.

Upon returning to the infirmary, Shadow was immediately sedated for his own good. He slept for a few days, and then he was allowed to awaken. It soon became apparent that he had changed a lot. He soon became extremely reclusive and was hardly ever seen in Knothole during the day. At night he would sit by the pond, stare up at the stars in the sky and weep unashamedly. It seemed as if finding Maria only to lose her again had killed him inside. Sonic sought him out and said, "You're not like this, faker. Where's your old spirit?" Shadow looked down and cried, _"I let her die!" _At that moment, Sonic saw just how much Shadow had changed from his former self and was shocked by the finding. _I called him 'faker'_…_ and he didn't even care,_ he thought with a barely suppressed shiver. Sonic sat down beside Shadow and said in a gentle voice, "Listen. All of it… It's not your fault. You did all you could to help her. She understood this." Shadow wrapped his arms around his drawn-up legs and rested his forehead on his knees. "I could have saved her. _I could have saved her!_ I should have tried harder!" Sonic said, "There was nothing more you could do, Shadow. You would only have died too." Shadow only sobbed softly, "I wish I had…" The mysterious disappearance of the Chaos Diamond was finally discovered, but no one could even begin to explain it. All the same, Shadow never let the Chaos Emerald out of his sight, even for a single moment. The chip taken out of its formerly perfect surface, the bloodstains and the grisly shard of human bone were all that he now had to remember that Maria had ever been there in Knothole. It was as if she had never been there at all, except for the painful memories and Shadow's broken heart.

Unknown to the both of them, Sonic wasn't the only one who was watching over Shadow. Metal Sonic did so as well, keeping a nonstop silent vigil when even Sonic had to leave Shadow's side. No one else knew that he was watching for he watched from afar, keeping careful track of Shadow's actions. His primary intent was to see what he could learn from the drastic change in Shadow's behavior patterns since the incident that had taken place a few days prior. But he also understood that the dark hedgehog's actions were growing erratic and increasingly self-destructive. He'd seen such behavior in captured biological entities before, and he had also seen that said entities tended to terminate their life functions if their behavior went unmonitored for a sufficiently long period of time. The continued functionality of the entity referred to as Shadow was a high priority to the others, and Metal Sonic refused to let such a critical issue go unwatched. If Shadow ever attempted to take his own life, Metal Sonic swore to be there to stop him. He was even prepared to do battle with Shadow if such became necessary. Such a battle would most likely end with him taking serious damage, but he didn't care. Somewhere deep down inside his mechanized mind he realized that this was the first time he had ever really cared about anyone. Ever since he had defected from his former master's side he had learned about so many things that he hadn't even known existed before. He would always remember the lessons he had learned from what had happened aboard the ARK.

Far away, in a lush, thick forest on the other side of the planet, a young woman stirred at the bottom of a large smoking crater. Climbing out of the crater she had found herself in, she headed for a nearby river. Washing the dirt and char off of herself with handfuls of crystal clear spring water, she looked at her reflection as she washed her face. Rather than seeing the reflection she was so accustomed to, she saw the face and shoulders of a slender female hedgehog the color of springtime sunlight, with bright blue eyes. A small bald spot caused by a ridge of scar tissue ran vertically along her sternum. Maria cried, "Wow! I'm a hedgehog?" At least her voice was still the same. Returning to the crater, she rummaged around at the very bottom until she finally found the Chaos Diamond. The last scraps of her old shirt made a nice carrying case for it, since the charred, tattered dress she had been wearing before was now more than enough for modesty's sake. Slinging it over her slim shoulder, she took off running and immediately amazed herself again. "_Hey!_ I can run just as fast as Shadow and that other hedgehog?" Stopping in her tracks, she began to think of what she would do next. She didn't know she was talking out loud when she said, "Maybe I'll see Shadow again someday, but not just yet. But he thinks I'm dead now, just as he did before. I wish he'd never found me. I had no right to come back into his life after he thought me dead for so long. It's best if he continues to think me dead." Shrugging her shoulders sadly, she shook her head and decided that she would never let herself see Shadow again as long as she lived. _This is for the best,_ she thought sadly. _Oh,_ _Shadow, I miss you so, so much_…Then, thinking of what she had nearly done to the world at large, she finally knew what she would do with the rest of her life. "I'll travel all around the world helping people in any way possible! What I asked Shadow to do so long ago I can now do all by myself! My new Chaos powers should help a lot. I can do it. I know I can. Maybe I can even atone for my… sins…" Wasting no more time on much of anything, she immediately set out on her new mission. She soon discovered that it was a heck of a lot easier for her to run without wearing the dress, and she deemed it okay to go without it since she wouldn't be going near anybody. She didn't want anyone to ever learn the truth about who she really was. "Shadow… We will meet again once I make up for my actions. If I ever make up for them. Which I doubt is even possible." No one other than her knew that Maria still lived, and no one ever would know if she got her way. In her mind, it would be far better if the whole world at large forgot all about the continued existence of Maria. She deserved nothing less than life and death in total obscurity after what she had nearly done to everyone. The woman who had almost destroyed everything in a fit of grief-induced madness would live out the remaining years of her life friendless and alone, atoning for her many sins. And so, she would never see Shadow again.

Encoded transmissions passing between differing Freedom Fighter villages all around the world soon began to speak of a mysterious golden hedgehog that worked miracles with a glowing white gem. No one ever got close enough to this hedgehog to tell what gender it was, much less speak to it. A few sketchy, faraway images of it were captured and they showed that it was indeed a golden hedgehog. It appeared and disappeared in an altogether inexplicable manner, there one moment and gone the very next as if it had never been there. Nameless and faceless, its identity unknown to all who saw it, the mystery hedgehog was unanimously called the Angel. The given name fit it perfectly because of what it always did. It brought miracles with it wherever it went, calling down rainstorms upon drought-stricken lands and dousing forest fires whenever they loomed close to a helpless village, clearing safe paths through raging blizzards and rescuing the lost. It caused foodstuffs to rain from the very heavens upon the starving and calmed fierce monsoons when they threatened, held back vast floods and cleansed the terminally sick of their diseases. Those in Knothole knew that the gem the mysterious golden hedgehog carried and used to create its miracles was the Chaos Diamond. But how in the world did it acquire it? Feeling an undeniable sense of duty to at least try to solve this mystery, Metal Sonic sat himself down and carefully scrutinized each image as only a robot could; magnifying it and clarifying details that were totally invisible to a normal person's eye. "If there is anything to be discovered in these pictures," he said, "I will not give up until I find it." Sonic smiled at this. He was beginning to find that sometimes he wished he could possess the unyielding determination so often displayed by Metal Sonic. That fact in itself was amazing to him. Did he actually… _envy_ his robotic duplicate for something? That was a development he never would have dreamed of, let alone expected to happen. Still, Metal Sonic made a truly great ally and a very terrifying enemy, and the robot knew it, too.

Shadow had thrown himself into his work as a Freedom Fighter, volunteering for anything open, going scouting solo, leading patrols to various places, and quickly taking any other assignments he could get. He wouldn't let himself have any time to remember how he had found Maria only to lose her again. The tales of the Angel saddened him to no end. _I never got to tell Maria_… _that she was **MY** angel,_ he thought. However, he was curious about its apparent Chaos powers. That and something about it seemed almost familiar to him. Metal Sonic was finally able to draw only one definite conclusion from his intensive study of the pictures of the Angel. As he said to Sonic one day, "The Angel is female." Sonic nodded once and thanked the robot politely. Metal Sonic simply shook his head at that. "Do not thank me yet, for I am not finished. Perhaps I can also identify this mystery hedgehog." Sonic smiled at this as well. He had never thought it possible, but he and his robotic duplicate were actually well on their way to becoming friends. Their previously formidable hatred for each other was fading away, and fast. He didn't really know just what Metal Sonic thought of this, but he himself was pretty much amazed. Neither of them had thought it possible for their hatred to ever stop, much less change into any form of tolerance, let alone friendship. Each had wanted the other dead for so terribly long, and now they were actually becoming friends? The world just seemed to be getting weirder.

One day Shadow was scouting solo when he encountered a heavily armed robot patrol. There were too many of them and he knew it as they pointed their lasers at him. He closed his eyes and made his peace with the universe as they prepared to open fire on him. **_SWISH!_** The sound startled him. **_SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!_** He opened his eyes to see the robots falling in rapid succession as a shimmering gold-colored blur moved rapidly between them from one to the next, too fast for even him to see. When the last robot finally fell, it turned abruptly and darted up into the branches of an especially huge redwood tree where its blurred nature resolved into the image of a golden hedgehog holding a glowing white gem in one hand and resting the other against the trunk of the great tree it now stood in. "The Angel," Shadow whispered in awe, staring up like an idiot. Their gazes met, ruby red eyes to crystalline blue, and all was frozen for a long moment. Then the mysterious golden hedgehog silently stepped right off the branch it stood on and went into free fall. Shadow's initial horror at its doing that turned to sheer amazement as a blaze of blue light erupted from the gem to envelop the falling hedgehog and sweep it away. A slight vibration drew his attention, and he looked down to see that his Chaos Emerald was glowing faintly. "It's reacting," he whispered to himself, "But to what?" The glow moved as if in response to his question, centering itself on the chip in its side, almost seeming to highlight it. Shadow mused quietly, "The missing piece…"

Looking back up at where he had last seen the Angel, he said softly, "Maria…?" He didn't expect to receive an answer to his question, and he was right not to for he got none. The encounter left him with many new questions, none of which would be answered in the foreseeable future. Why did the Chaos Emerald react to the presence of the Angel as if its missing piece was nearby? Did the Angel now possess the missing piece that Maria had put within herself? If that was so, then how could it be? Maybe the Angel had stumbled across Maria's… He broke down crying again as the thought formed in his mind. Had the Angel found the shard in Maria's dead body and taken it? Or… maybe… He remembered Maria's words to him from so seemingly long ago. Had she truly been a living Chaos Crystal? Was it possible that the Angel was… was… _her?_ He wanted to think that she still lived, but if she lived, why didn't she reveal herself to him? Why did she let him continue to think her dead if she really lived? Why did she not contact him if she lived? Did she no longer care about him? Had she forgotten about him? Did she blame him for what had happened to her? Did she hate him now? The remote possibility that she could possibly hate him now made him feel as if he was going to die of sheer emotional pain. He loved her still, loved her so much, but he didn't know what to think anymore. Abruptly sitting down right where he stood, he curled up around himself and wept. "Maria," he sobbed, "Why did you have to die again? We'd just found each other after spending so many years apart, and you threw your life away before I could even tell you how I truly felt about you… Why did you do it? _Why?_ I miss you so much, Maria. You always meant so much to me… and I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye…" He cursed himself for not trying harder when he'd had the chance to save her. He would have gladly risked his life, gladly _given_ it, if he could have saved her from death. The failure, in his mind, was his and his alone, and so he would never, _could_ never stop blaming himself for her tragic loss.

Maria cursed herself repeatedly as she materialized somewhere far, far away. Why the heck had she stayed there long enough for him to get a good look at her? Had she really wanted to see him again that badly? Tears came to her bright blue eyes at the thought of him. _Oh, Shadow, just to see you again_… The thought hurt her somewhere deep down inside. Resolute, she shook her head, pushing the thought away and trying to bury the feelings that went with it. But, for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to leave. Cursing herself for her foolish, misguided sentimentality, she tried again and failed again. Then, giving up on leaving, she decided to make Shadow's village… Knothole, was it? No, it didn't matter what it was called. If Shadow called it home, she would do everything in her power to make it a place of beauty and safety. No hard times would befall Knothole while she was there to prevent them. She'd heard what the people she'd helped before had called her. So she was known as the Angel now, was she? So be it. Well, now she would concentrate all of the so-called Angel's power on Knothole. _Shadow,_ she thought with a grim, sad resolution; _I swear that, wherever you may go, whatever you may do, the Angel will always watch over you and those you hold dear, until the end of time and beyond._


	9. Hurting to help

It began the very next day when Tails had a major accident in his workshop. All of Knothole heard a massive explosion and came running to see Tails' workshop being consumed in a torrent of violent flames, with Tails trapped inside. The little fox would surely be doomed if no one could get in there and rescue him. A voice called out, "I'll save you, Tails!" A very different voice replied, "I will not allow you to risk your life. I will save Tails." The first voice said, "What, and let _you_ risk _yours?_ I think not!" The second voice replied, "You are not going in there." Sonic and Metal Sonic almost came to blows, each trying to prevent the other from risking his safety to help Tails. It seemed impossible, even ridiculous, but the two of them had actually become friends. All that was necessary for their hatred of each other to die was something that they could agree on. They had found something they both felt the same about, and that was Tails' safety. The young fox was important to the both of them. However, neither was all that surprised as Shadow abruptly charged straight into the inferno while the other two were distracted by each other.

The dark hedgehog coughed harshly as he plunged through the thick, greasy smoke. Even the ultimate life form couldn't handle this for long. Flame lit his way as he pushed past it, until he finally found Tails. The little fox was lying unconscious on the floor next to his workbench, curled up into a furry little ball. A ghost knelt beside him and held him close. The Angelhovered over him protectively, seemingly keeping the flames back simply by being there, fixing Shadow with those same haunting blue eyes that had frozen him in place when they had first crossed paths. Shadow came up to the two of them and soon realized that he could see right through the Angel as he reached out to pick up Tails. It was as if he were staring at a holographic projection that had been created by a very clever technological trickster. As soon as he touched Tails, the Angel vanished as if it had never been there, like the ghost it was. Then an unknown force thrust both Shadow and Tails right out of the burning workshop. Sonic and Metal Sonic were by their side in mere moments, both frantically inquiring about Tails and trying their level best to help in some small way. Shadow was burned slightly but mostly uninjured, unable to stop coughing as the two blue hedgehogs helped him to sit down. Tails was just out cold from severe smoke inhalation, not really having gotten burned at all. A multitude of awed cries drew Shadow's attention up to the workshop's roof. The silhouetted figure of a hedgehog now stood engulfed in flames but not burning in the slightest, totally untouched although the fire rushed all over it in waves. The roaring flames seemed to warp and distort around it, forming the red-orange-yellow shape of a young human girl made entirely of fire. Sonic recognized that fiery shape as Maria, as did Shadow. The hedgehog silhouette raised a familiar gem high over its head and leapt straight up into the air. The torrents of fire rose off Tails' workshop and into the air, following the hedgehog's lead. The gem the hedgehog held glowed bright and swept the hedgehog away, and the fire went with it. Tails' workshop was badly charred, but the damage was fixable, being mostly superficial and cosmetic in nature. That in itself was a miracle, but not as much of a miracle as the fact that Tails was totally uninjured except for the prerequisite smoke inhalation that came from being so close to the fire. The young fox chose that moment to awaken. His first question was, "Where did the girl go?" Sonic and everyone else was confused. Shadow asked, "What are you talking about, Tails? What girl do you mean?" Blinking rapidly, Tails answered, "The girl who was holding me in her arms before you came, Shadow. She was reassuring me that everything would be okay. And her voice was _Maria's!_" That profoundly confused Shadow. He'd heard a little bit about ghosts from legends and things, but he'd never really _seen_ one before. Had it really been a ghost? And where did the Angel fit into all of this weirdness? Why had everyone seen Maria standing there in the heart of the raging flames? Feeling that same odd vibration again, he found that his Chaos Emerald was once again reacting to something unknown. The glow followed the same patterns as it had before, centering on the chip Maria had taken out of its side so long ago. This time Sonic noticed it too, as did Knuckles. The crimson echidna thought on it a little bit, then said, "The Chaos Crystals react to the presence of each other; this much I know for certain. But an individual Chaos Crystal has never been split into pieces before, so I'm not too sure what this is all about. It could be reacting to its missing piece, but we can't be sure." Shadow asked, "What do you mean by that?" Knuckles replied, "What I mean is I don't know, Shadow. _That's_ what I mean." Sonic added, "That makes all three of us, then. I'm in the dark here. I mean, splitting apart a Chaos Crystal? How strange is _that?_"

Over the next few days, Knothole's winter stores rapidly grew into massive surpluses as varying kinds of storable foods rained from the sky. The rivers teemed with so many fish that they practically jumped right into the laps of whoever went fishing. The gardens bloomed in spectacular fashion, plants growing fast and huge as plants ought not to do. Something, some unknown force led Eggman's patrols the wrong way whenever they came into the forest area. The wicked rainstorms of late fall always missed Knothole, sometimes even drastically changing their direction as storms were never supposed to. Paths through winter's snow were always totally clear of any and all obstruction, even during the wickedest of blizzards. The blizzards all missed Knothole as well, sometimes even turning completely around to go the opposite way as if they had struck some sort of unseen barrier. Sightings of the Angel increased exponentially until each and every resident of Knothole had seen it at least once. Some saw it running through the forest at the fantastic speed that was so very typical of Sonic and Shadow, and of Metal Sonic in his own way. Others saw the flash of light that accompanied its disappearances. A few even saw it working its miracles from afar. The entire village was abuzz with gossip about the strange happenings and the Angel. Was it here to stay? Was it now the benefactor of Knothole, and only Knothole? And if that was so, then what made it decide to stay there?

The only one who couldn't fully bring himself to care about it was Shadow. The Angel only reminded him of Maria and he didn't like being reminded of the death of the only person he had ever really cared about. The already terrible pain was doubled for he had witnessed her death twice. She had died to save him from certain doom so long ago, and then she had died to save the whole world. He had died to save the world once, but he had actually survived it. He still wasn't really sure just how he had survived that one. Being the ultimate life form had its advantages at times, and he was pretty sure that was one of them. It was only through a miracle that Maria had survived her seeming death once before, and everyone who was anyone knew for sure that the same miracle couldn't ever be repeated twice for the same person. He had no hope that there could even be the smallest possibility of her surviving her fatal fall somehow, as he had done. He was the ultimate life form. She was merely human, and a fragile human at that. He had no hope for anything at all in life and sometimes wondered why he hadn't given up and killed himself yet. But Maria had wanted him to live, that had been her last request to him, and so live he would, even despite the pain. Still, seeing the Angel watching over Knothole from afar and knowing that it was out there somehow comforted him in some small way. Seeing the Angel made him remember Maria's incredible kindness and love of the world, and it somewhat soothed his broken heart to see that such love and kindness still existed in the world at large. It was almost as if Maria's death had given the whole world a gift in the form of the Angel.

Maria felt the same way about seeing Shadow around. It was comforting to know that he was there, but being so close and yet so far multiplied the pain a hundredfold. There were times when she wanted to die, but she would look upon the Chaos Diamond and remember her new life as the Angel, and realize she couldn't die yet. At night she would visit Shadow's hut and look through the window at him as he slept. The situation was so painfully ironic. She was the Angel. She could go anywhere in the world and do anything at all, and what she desired most was unattainable and right in front of her. It was all so sadly, heartbreakingly ironic that she could have laughed had she still had it in her to laugh about anything. When had she last laughed? When had she last smiled? She couldn't really remember clearly when she had felt anything except sorrow, despair and pain. How long could she hold on to her dreams in the face of such overwhelming misery and hurt?


	10. Found out

-1Blinking back a flood of tears, Maria stepped back from the window into Shadow's hut, holding the Chaos Diamond over her racing heart like a talisman to ward off the pain she felt inside. Abruptly turning, unable to stand it anymore, she quickly ran away from the area at large, leaving Knothole behind her, trying in vain to outrun the hurt she felt deep inside. She only stopped running when she reached the pond. Unknown to her, this was actually the exact same pond where Sonic had convinced Shadow to follow Metal Sonic on that day so very long ago. It was so beautiful that it took her breath away and froze her right where she stood. The water was crystal clear and not a ripple disturbed its reflective surface. In it she could see a whole wide swath of night sky framed by lush trees. The full moon shone down upon the whole scene, illuminating everything with white light so soft and pale that it almost seemed like a liquid itself. The stars shone in their old familiar places, with Space Colony ARK the brightest of all by far. Untold multitudes of fireflies danced a silent waltz at the water's very edge, tracing delicate, looping patterns of yellow-green light in the still night air. There was no wind and the sky was clear of any and all clouds as far as could be seen. Nighttime birds sang their hauntingly sweet melodies, their chirps filling the air with a low thrumming. A fallen tree branch jutted out over the water, mere inches from the glassy surface. The branch itself was thick, the bark smooth and cool as Maria sat down on it, dabbling her feet in the cool water. She kept the Chaos Diamond in her lap and rested her left hand upon its smooth surface as she raised her right hand to absentmindedly stroke the ridge of scar tissue on her sternum. The shard of Chaos Emerald was still there inside her, its innate energy throbbing to the pulse of the heart that beat only an inch or two away. She could feel it there, since it felt quite different from the surrounding bone. The area where she could still feel it was slowly shrinking and she guessed that it was because her sternum was regenerating itself all around where she had put the Chaos Emerald shard in her body, sealing the crystal inside its hollow core. It was a part of her, and it looked like that was how it was going to stay. Nothing could take it away from her, now. Powerful as she was, she knew that her powers were still not at their peak. Once the crystal shard was fully sealed away within her, would she become even stronger? She quietly gazed up at the clear night sky, staring up at the light reflecting off of Space Colony ARK, so far away yet shining so brightly as to seem almost like a second moon. How she wished she could have at least some small part of her old life back! What she wouldn't gladly give to see her grandfather again, or to once again call Space Colony ARK home, or just to be with… Shadow… She began to sing her old song, the one that had been Shadow's most favorite lullaby; this time beginning it as a mournful dirge for all that she had lost. Her voice was still the same as it had always been, just as she remembered it, and that was a small comfort to her. She sang the song softly at first, so softly that she could barely even hear herself singing, but her voice steadily rose until she was singing at full volume. It felt extraordinarily good to be singing that old song again, even despite the fact that the circumstances she was singing it under were far different from anything that she had ever experienced before. She was barely aware of it and cared even less as the mournful dirge she had started with changed into the usual stirring melody she had sung so many times before to cheer herself up. Where before she had sung for everything she had lost, she now sang for everything she had gained, even though she could never have the one thing she wanted most of all. Her song echoed off the surrounding trees, almost giving the impression that a whole chorus was singing it with her. Closing her eyes, she silently slipped into a memory. The energy of the Chaos Diamond followed the feelings and desires in her heart, gently wrapping her in a comforting veil of remembered images. Maria opened her eyes again and found herself back in her human form, sitting in a metal chair next to a metallic cradle, holding a sleepy baby Shadow in her arms. Forgetting everything save where she thought she was, she rocked the baby back and forth and sang to him just as she always did every night at his bedtime. He held onto her finger with his tiny hand and smiled up at her sweetly with his thumb in his mouth, cooing softly and sounding like he was trying to talk. She smiled back down at him and tucked his favorite blanket over his little body, singing his favorite song to him. The baby yawned, not so much a yawn as a squeak because he was so tiny. Oh, she loved him so very much. She remembered the circumstances of his birth as if it had been only yesterday. He'd yowled like any newborn baby and no one had gone to comfort him, thinking of him as an experiment rather than a child. She'd been the first one to approach him and pick him up, hugging and cuddling him like the infant he was. From that moment on, he had loved her with the love of a child for its mother. And she had loved him right back, first as a parent, then as a sibling, and now… The thought of the present only intruded on her dreams of the past for a short moment. Her inner pain throbbed in her heart, cutting her thoughts short as she reflexively slipped back into the comfort of her dreams to avoid having to feel the pure anguish that still plagued her heart and soul.

Not too far away, Shadow awakened from a dream into what had to be another dream. Sitting bolt upright in his bed, he strained with all his mental and physical might to catch the strains of the ethereal tune he wasn't sure was real. He got up out of bed, his body and soul focused on the distant song. He hadn't heard this song for many, many years. Was he really hearing it now? If it was all a dream, he didn't want to ever wake up. He quietly stepped outside and slowly walked away from his hut, frantically trying to figure out which direction the melody was coming from before it could come to an end or he could wake up from this dreamlike reverie he now found himself in. It was coming from… the pond? He didn't use his speed, merely running at a regular pace as he began to wend his way through the forest. The song got stronger the further he went and beyond the trees he could see the pond glowing with an odd white light. Passing by the last tree, he saw the scene before him laid out in full. At the very center of a nimbus of radiant white light, a golden hedgehog sat on a fallen branch, cradling a glowing white gem and rocking it as one would a baby and singing the song he had heard. The Angel was sitting there right before him, but it—no, _she_—didn't seem to know or care that he was there. Completely oblivious to his presence, she sang in Maria's voice and seemed to be caught in some dream of a different time. Shadow walked forward, being careful not to make a sound, drawing ever closer to her step by slow, deliberate step. He abruptly stopped as reality shifted all around him. His surroundings became the old nursery on Space Colony ARK, the Angel became a much younger version of Maria and the Chaos Diamond became a tiny baby version of himself. He took a single step backward and he was back by the pond watching the Angel rock the Chaos Diamond as if it was a baby. Stepping forward, he was in the nursery watching Maria singing to baby Shadow. Stepping back, he was by the pond watching the Angel singing to the Chaos Diamond. Forward. Back. Forward. Back. The ARK. The pond. The ARK. The pond. Maria. The Angel. Maria. The Angel. Baby Shadow. The Chaos Diamond. Baby Shadow. The Chaos Diamond. As Shadow stood in the pocket of oddness that surrounded the Angel, the ghost of Maria didn't bother to look up as she said, "Oh, hello, Grandpa. I'm just putting little Shadow to bed." He didn't respond to her statement, since he didn't know how to respond to it. Wondering why he didn't reply, she looked up at him and a look of profound shock took hold on her face as her expression degenerated from a happy smile into a slack-jawed gape. "You're not Grandpa! You're… _you're_…" The illusion shattered all around them, the light dying, and Maria found herself back in the form of the Angel. Instead of cradling a warm, cuddly, happy baby Shadow in the arms of her human body, she was holding the cold, smooth Chaos Diamond in a hedgehog's arms. She looked up at Shadow with an expression of profoundest shock, bolting up to a standing position with the Chaos Diamond clutched tightly in both hands. Shadow had never been so close to the Angel before. If he wanted to, he could reach out and touch her. He could see a small bald streak running vertically along her slim chest, as if there was a scar there. The dark hedgehog felt the Chaos Emerald vibrating, but he didn't need to pay any attention to it because he already knew what it was trying to tell him. Staring deep into the crystal blue eyes of the gorgeous female hedgehog that was standing right there before him, he whispered, "…Maria?" The look of confused disbelief on her face was more than enough of an affirmative answer for him. Maria had only two words to say to that. _"Chaos Control!"_ She then vanished in a bright blaze of light. Quickly pulling out the Chaos Emerald and focusing his mind on her and her alone, Shadow did the same as she had and winked out in less than an instant.

It was midday when the sandy ruins of the Gaza Strip in what had once been Israel received two very strange visitors. A golden hedgehog appeared in a bright blaze of light, running through the deserted wasteland at a terrific speed unmatched by anything ever seen in the world before. A black hedgehog, running at the same speed, followed it closely. A second blaze of light, and they were both gone as if they had never been there. They next appeared in the dense rainforests of Brazil, tracing the length of the Amazon River in a matter of minutes. Then they traversed the length of the Great Wall of China. They ran eight laps around the perimeter of Antarctica, and then traversed the Sahara Desert in its entirety, crossing their own paths again and again. The Australian outback was their playground as they ran all around it at a furious pace. They leaped and teleported among the peaks of the Adirondacks in what could almost be considered a colossal game of hopscotch and caused a huge stir among the local wildlife as they tore across the Great Plains. The Arctic tundra was their next stop and they scared off vast herds of caribou as they ran. Hopping along the volcanic floes of Hawaii, Maria tripped. The Chaos Diamond fell from her hands and clattered on the hot rock as she went sprawling onto a fresh deposit of lava. There was an immediate crackling, sizzling sound and the warm, tropical air was filled with the ugly, foul stench of burning hair and flesh. Shadow was frozen momentarily, paralyzed by sheer horror. The paralysis was broken when the fallen hedgehog convulsed, muscles straining against each other and themselves. Her golden coloration swiftly blackened and a veil of thick smoke rose from her shuddering body. A hideous sound issued from her throat, resolving into an agonized shriek like nothing he'd ever heard before in his life. Bravely daring the heat of the lava and quite frankly not noticing it in his panicked haste, he scooped her up. In doing so, he burned his hands and arms badly right up to his elbows, along with his feet and legs up to his knees, but all he noticed was that great chunks of Maria's flesh and hair were left behind on the lava. Great swaths of raw, red flesh were exposed on her body, and the heat had sealed her eyes shut. She writhed in his arms as he held on to her and tried to think of what to do. He reached out and grabbed the Chaos Emerald, noticing that his own color had changed below his elbows. Cracks were showing along his forearms, under which he could see flesh just as red and raw as Maria's was now. Concentrating on ignoring the pain, he reached out and drew the Chaos Diamond to him as well, placing it on the female hedgehog's heaving chest. She was barely conscious now, and that was probably a good thing, but so was he. Holding the Chaos Emerald high, he called out, _"Chaos Control!"_

It was approaching midday in Knothole, and everybody was out looking for Shadow, who had mysteriously vanished without a trace in the middle of the night. Everyone assembled at the center of town to organize into search parties. Sally was assigning partners to different people based on their abilities. "Sonic, you're with Metal Sonic. You're both fast so you're partners. Tails, both you and Knuckles have aerial skills, so you two are together. I'm going with Amy. Bunny, you're in charge of watching over the home front while we're gone on our search. I know you probably want to help out too, but we can't afford to leave Knothole deserted for even the shortest amount of time, okay?" She was just about to dismiss everyone to start looking when a bright flash of light drew her attention from the situation at hand. Pointing over to the side, she cried, _"Look!"_ They all turned to see an injured Shadow carrying a female hedgehog that was so badly burned as to be unrecognizable. The dark hedgehog appeared to be in massive shock as he staggered weakly toward them, his ruby eyes glazed. Sonic charged up to him, as did Metal Sonic and everyone else, no one wasting any time. The blue hedgehog asked, "Good grief, Shadow, what happened?" The dark hedgehog held out the girl he carried and muttered softly, "Maria… Help her…" He met his counterpart's gaze, but his ruby eyes stared right through Sonic as if he wasn't even there at all. "Help her," he begged again, his voice barely audible. He wavered slightly as his eyes slowly drifted closed. Then both Sonic and his robotic double had to catch him as he crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, not dropping the girl he carried. It took quite a bit of effort for Sonic and Metal Sonic to finally pry the burned girl from Shadow's arms. Even though he was unconscious and injured, he still had an iron grip. But why did he care so much for her?


	11. An unlikely partnership is born

-1Nobody wasted any time on anything. Both Shadow and the mysterious badly burned hedgehog were taken straight to the infirmary. Shadow immediately began to display the accelerated healing that was so typical of the ultimate life form. No one was surprised by that since that was just the way he was, but they _were_ surprised by the fact that the mystery hedgehog was healing just as fast as Shadow was. A pair of big bright eyes soon opened with all the delicate beauty of a pair of flowers budding in the spring, and those eyes were the brightest blue that any of them had ever seen. The only person who had ever had eyes that shade of blue was Maria. Raw, red skin quickly gave way to an unbelievable metallic golden hue like nothing anyone had ever seen since the initial emergence of Super Sonic, and they all knew without a doubt that this was actually the Angel. When everyone found out that the Angel had the stunning blue eyes and soft, melodic voice of Maria, they were all convinced that Shadow had told the truth when he had initially brought her there. Maria and the Angel were one and the same. Maria _was_ the Angel. She initially tried her hardest to keep the pretense up to the best of her ability; that she was _not_ Maria after all but only the Angel, but when confronted with the knowledge that she couldn't fool any of them anymore, she eventually just gave up on it. She no longer denied that she was really Maria, and that she was also the Angel. It was a real hoot for Sonic to get an idea of what his supercharged form looked like to others. He found her appearance truly amazing, but not nearly as amazing as her power. She was just as powerful in her normal form as he was in his supercharged form, and that was the biggest kick in the pants of all for him.

As soon as both of them recovered, they were let into the Knothole community. Maria seemed to avoid Shadow whenever she could and became incredibly shy in his presence, like a young child with their first crush. Now that she was a hedgehog, Shadow began to see her the same way, so he avoided her whenever he could and became incredibly shy in her presence. It was actually rather comical to see, but nobody laughed at it. Time passed, and as it passed she discovered something she never would have dreamed of, much less expected. Her transformation had cured her of her old ailment, a chronic disease that ate away at her bones and made her too frail and weak for life on the planet, consigning her to life up on the ARK. She could all but feel her bones thickening and strengthening, years of long arrested growth coming upon her at last, fueled by the influx of Chaos energy coming from the shard she had implanted in herself. Stronger bones allowed for stronger muscles, and soon Maria was healthy as could be. Shadow was both baffled and elated at this news. Her grandfather, his creator, had spent all his life looking for a cure for her disease, and now the cure had been dropped into their collective laps far too late for the doctor to ever know of it. All who lived in Knothole had to earn their keep, so she was assigned duties to do, each one chosen on the basis of her natural talents. The fairly uneasy partnership between Sonic and Metal Sonic was broken so that Shadow could have a partner in Sonic. Maria and Metal Sonic were paired up for various reasons, but mostly because of the unique long-range attack capabilities they both shared. They were the ones who hid and struck down random patrols from afar, baffling and frustrating the enemy with cunningly executed surprise ambushes. Their line of work kept them away from Knothole for relatively long intervals of time, during which they had no one to talk to except each other. Still, even so, Maria didn't actually _talk_ to Metal Sonic all that much at first. She found him very intimidating, and the fact that he was a robot made by her insane cousin sure didn't help much. But her inner nature eventually yet inevitably shone through and soon she was chatting with the robot about all sorts of things. They taught each other many things and learned many things from each other in the time they spent together. Metal Sonic knew nothing of emotions beyond the handful that he had been programmed to be able to feel, so she described differing emotions to him in terms that he could easily understand. In return he taught Maria many new things such as attack techniques and strategies. His great tactical knowledge amazed her to no end and she soon decided that her partnership with him was a very good thing, not just for her but for him as well.

Over time, they discovered that they actually had a few striking similarities in the ability department. Metal Sonic's best method of self-defense came in the form of the Black Shield, an extremely powerful electrical field projected from his shoulders. It was activated by laying his hands upon his shoulders, and it protected the robot from any and all harm, but the drawback was that it took so much energy that he couldn't move while he was using it. Maria was able to call upon the great power inherent in the shard of Chaos Emerald that she had implanted in her chest so long ago and use it to project a largish sphere of Chaos energy around her body to deflect any and all energy attacks. Based loosely on the Chaos Mirror she had first used in the form of Angelica, it took a lot of concentration to use and it was very hard to move with it enveloping her. Metal Sonic's turbine and heel jets, when used together, allowed him to fly. Maria had learned a technique that Shadow had never even dreamed of trying. She called it Chaos Rising and it enabled her to levitate and fly whenever she wanted to. Metal Sonic's primary weapons were two fairly small laser cannons set in his forearms, and he was able to hit just about anything from just about anywhere. Shadow had taught Maria how to use Chaos Spear and she had proved to be remarkably good at it, possessing an almost preternatural innate talent for marksmanship. And she had an edge over her partner. If the going ever got tough, she could use Chaos Control. She no longer needed the Chaos Diamond to access her Chaos abilities, a little bit of training with Shadow had seen to that, but she still kept it with her since it increased her power and helped her concentrate. The one thing it didn't do for her was increase her desire to fight. She had no stomach for any form of face to face combat, much preferring to strike from afar and then run away. Her innate gentleness would allow for nothing less. Would she be able to stand and fight if the circumstances demanded that she do such, or was she too quiet and peaceful to do so? That was why she was assigned to sniper duty. She apparently couldn't handle anything more violent than that. But no one was sure about that. Was she unable to fight or just unwilling to try it?


	12. That can't be good for you

At night they settled down around a small bonfire together, just as they always did each night. Maria would forage for fruits and nuts to have for dinner. Metal Sonic would just recharge his batteries in preparation for the next day. Maria would go to sleep while her robotic partner simply shut down for the night. She was a very light sleeper by nature and his extremely sensitive auditory receptors were linked to an internal alarm system that would cause him to awaken ready to fight almost immediately if there were any form of noise or disturbance of that nature. All was silent in the forest as they prepared for yet another night spent alone together in the wild. There was a soft clattering sound as Metal Sonic slowly reclined against a large root and relaxed after finally finishing a full-spectrum scan of the surrounding area for as far as his sensors could possibly reach and determining that it was safe for them to relax. Maria sat down right across from him, staring through the fire's flickering flames at his impassive face. He stared right back at her equally impassive face. Not a word passed between them, and not a word had to. Metal Sonic's neon eyes dimmed as he shut down for the duration of the night. Maria followed his lead and prepared to go to sleep for the night. She had an urge to say good night to him, which was actually rather ridiculous since he wasn't actually sleeping at all. Settling for just plain keeping quiet, she simply relaxed and quietly let herself slide into peaceful slumber.

Maria's eyes opened and she looked around. It was still the middle of the night, and the fire had long since burned out. Starlight shone through the trees just enough for her to see the silent, still form of Metal Sonic lying right where he'd been before. He looked so peaceful that she had to smile. Picking up the Chaos Diamond, she quietly stood up and used its bright, pervasive glow to get a better look around. She abruptly stashed it back where she'd gotten it when she saw thick beams of cold white light cut through the still night air several hundred meters away from their current position. Kneeling down again, she whispered into the inert robot's ear. "Hey, wake up." There was no response. More beams of light became visible off to the side where she had just seen the first few. Straightening up, abruptly angry, she gave Metal Sonic a swift kick in the side and snarled, "Get _up,_ titanium pants!" The robot's eyes abruptly brightened as he looked up at her and said, "I resent that, brainless female. What is it?" Maria merely pointed and replied, "Take a look over there." Metal Sonic took one look and then lowered his voice to quarter volume as he said, "It is one of Eggman's robotic patrols, and it is very close. By my estimation, there are at least a dozen aerial gunboats. We are in great danger. If we hurry, we may be able to escape unnoticed." Maria simply nodded without a word, and then got ready to run. The robot, however, was uncertain as to how to proceed from there. His turbine caused a lot of noise, as did his heel jets. If he used them, he would allow the patrol to home in on their exact location and thereby blow their chances of escaping without a fight. If he didn't use them, the odds of his escaping in time to pass undetected would be very much decreased, almost to the point of impossibility. The gunboats possessed advanced artificial intelligence and were extraordinarily adept at strategizing for battle. This was going to be very hard no matter what he did. He could see only one way out of the situation. Turning to the golden hedgehog, he said, "Maria, I have a plan. You run. I will provide a distraction to allow you to avoid detection." The way his neon eyes blazed as he spoke made her aware of the fact that he wouldn't tolerate any opposition to his plan. She bit back an argument, then silently nodded and turned to run. He stood stone still and silently watched her as she turned, jumped straight up into the air and abruptly disappeared into the darkness with a smallish flash of Chaos energy from the gem she was carrying. Once she was gone from sight and sensor range he quietly nodded to himself, satisfied. Then, wasting no more time on anything, he revved up his turbine at full power, jumped right into the beam of one of the nearest searchlights, paused there just long enough for all of them to get a good look at him, then took off running at top speed. Not about to pass up a chance to hunt down and destroy a traitor to the cause they had been created for and were so fanatical about, the entire patrol quickly gave up on scouting and began to pursue him at top speed.

Soon Metal Sonic was fleeing for his very life, weaving around the massive redwood trees at top speed and desperately trying to either lose his pursuers or get far enough ahead to let him have a moment to plan something. There was no room for error, since he was just barely dodging the hail of laser blasts as it was. As he tore around an especially huge tree trunk, he almost ran face first straight into the cannon barrel of a single hovering gunboat. His momentary disorientation at that occurrence made him pause just long enough for his pursuit to catch up. Anger crossed Metal Sonic's mind, followed by a new respect for his opponents. He'd thought that they were merely chasing him when in reality they were encircling him to trap him. He'd played right into it. "Very clever," he said. He extended the laser cannons set in his forearms in preparation for a fierce fight, but it was already way too late for that. The gunboat he'd almost run into opened fire, just once, the blast catching him in the chest above his turbine at point blank range. The force of the impact sent him flying backward head over heels, a cloud of thick, black, greasy smoke trailing behind him where he passed through the air. As he fell he let out a loud burst of static in place of a scream. Moments later he ended up sprawled on the ground lying on his back, staring up at the treetops with rapidly dimming vision. His neon eyes were so dim as to barely be visible. A thick sheet of sparks rained from the site of impact like the rush of lifeblood from a mortal wound. A thick plume of greasy black smoke rose from his turbine high into the air, silently disappearing into the thick foliage so far above. The gunboats hovered over him for a moment, preparing to finish the job and take him down permanently. He couldn't move now, much less fight back. They could do whatever they wanted to do to him and he was helpless to stop them. It actually didn't really matter if they decided to finish him off or not. He couldn't survive much longer anyway, not with the damage he had taken. Then, high overhead, beyond where the pack of lurking gunboats could see, something unseen stirred amid the twining branches of the great tree he now lay beneath. He watched with dimming vision as a hedgehog jumped out of the tree and fell toward the gunboats. As it fell it raised its hands over its head, revealing the white gem it held cupped in its palms. _Maria_ gave a wild war whoop as a huge crackling sphere of pure Chaos energy formed around her. The wordless battle cry resolved into a shout of,_ "Chaos Spear!" _A sudden flurry of lightning bolts rained down on the gunboats, lashing out with a fury unmatched in a living being, each bolt taking out one gunboat until all of them were nothing but smoking piles of partially melted scrap metal on the ground.

Breaking her fall with a momentary flash of Chaos Rising, she landed beside him and knelt, a look of concern on her face. Looking up at her, he dutifully gave her a damage report, his words barely audible past the static that filled his weak voice. Only a few words were intelligible, his voice was so full of static. "…Energy reserves… depleted… Batteries… nonfunctional… Power core… damaged… Total systems failure imminent…" There was a short pause, during which the rush of sparks coming from the damaged area decreased considerably. "…Tails… tell him…" Maria replied, "You'll be able to tell him yourself." Then she gave Metal Sonic the Chaos Diamond. Understanding her unspoken plan, he immediately placed it next to his power core and gave a momentary twitch as its ambient energy flowed through him. It didn't give him much energy, but it would hold off terminal shutdown. He was barely functional, so weak that it took all his remaining strength just to hold the gem in place. Maria picked him up and began to carry him back to Knothole. He just rested in her arms, his head lying against her shoulder. At any other time he would have been downright furious to find himself cradled against the female hedgehog's chest just like a baby, but right now he was barely even aware of it. It was right then that she noticed that he was still quietly slipping away. "Oh, no you don't," she said, focusing her awareness on, into and through the Chaos Diamond. _"Chaos Bond." _Suddenly she could feel him in her mind, and he could feel her in his. Their thoughts were united, and each of them was experiencing things they had never even dreamed of. Knowledge flooded into Maria's mind; design schematics, attack strategies, detailed maps, new techniques… Metal Sonic was _feeling._ That in itself was a major shock to him. He'd never felt anything besides the preprogrammed facsimiles of emotions his creator had endowed him with, and now he learned that they weren't even shadows of what real emotions were. They swept through him and filled him in a way he had never known before, these new emotions, and he loved each and every one of them, even the negative ones. He felt as if his mind was flying free of his body and absentmindedly wondered if this was what it was like to die. It was much slower now, the fading, but it was still happening. Instead of falling away into a deep void of darkness and silence, he merely felt the way he did after a hard patrol… something akin to tiredness. There was nothing he would have liked more than to shut down and recharge, but he knew that if he shut down this time it would be for good. Stasis lock wouldn't work. He was too badly damaged for that. Step by step, minute by minute, it was pretty much a race against time even though Maria couldn't run now. Neither of them was sure if the words that followed were spoken or existed solely in their collective consciousness. "I can feel you fading. Hang on. You have to hang on. Stay awake. Talk to me, man." They could still recognize each other's voices, which was a good thing. "I can feel your emotions, Maria. They are just like you described them, but they are also so much more." She thought on that for a moment, and then replied, "What is it like, feeling for the first time?" There was a pause. "Wonderful," he whispered in her mind, "It is… wonderful…" He was still slipping away, slowly but inexorably, and she wouldn't make it back to Knothole in time. It took a dreadful amount of concentration to maintain her link to Metal Sonic. Could she still use Chaos Control in this state? "I'll have to try," she said out loud. She stopped walking, standing still and holding the damaged robot's body tight. Closing her eyes, she said, "Chaos Control." Then she screamed as the stress of using two Chaos powers at once practically tore her mind in half. She felt like she was going to die as the light came from within her to sweep them away. She had time for one agonized shriek, which Metal Sonic echoed through their bond, before the energy warp seized both of them. One word filled her mind; (**_SHADOWWWW!_**) Then something great and terrible rose up within her and swept her heart and soul away into endless darkness.


	13. Guess who gets a cameo?

At that moment, far away, Shadow bolted up in bed with a wordless scream. His mind was filled with feelings of intense pain and stark terror, a plea for help that only he could hear, and it came from… _"Maria!" _He felt this in a rush, realizing that he could feel her mind through his link to the Chaos Emerald. She had used Chaos Control and gotten trapped in the place between places that ability usually took its user through, was calling out to him for aid, he was her only hope. He reached out and grabbed the Chaos Emerald, drawing it to him. "Only I can do this," he said. Focusing, he yanked her out, providing the focus she needed to complete the trip. Both she and Metal Sonic came through at once, falling in a heap at his feet. Maria was out cold, having obviously passed out even before he got the two of them out of the Chaos warp, and Metal Sonic had gone into stasis lock to protect himself from the berserk energy. Amazingly enough, the Chaos Diamond remained in place next to the damaged robot's power core. Shadow knew what she had done. She had risked everything to help Metal Sonic, just as she had done for him so long ago. Fetching Tails, he took Metal Sonic to the young fox's workshop, and then returned to his hut. He moved Maria's limp body into his bed and quietly sat down to patiently wait for her to regain consciousness. Hours passed, yet he didn't leave her side for so much as a moment.

Dawn came before she finally awakened. She let out a soft sigh, stretching a bit. That awakened Shadow, who had fallen asleep. "Huh?" Bolting up, she fairly screamed, _"What_…_"_ He was by her side in an instant, reassuring her. "It's okay. You're in my hut, Maria." Looking to him, she asked, "But where's…" He interrupted with a cocky grin, "Metal Sonic? He's in Tails' workshop, none the worse for his little Chaos Control jaunt. _You_ took the brunt of it, not him. I must say you're pretty darn resilient nowadays. Getting lost in the middle of a Chaos Control? Even _I've_ never done _that._" He abruptly grew serious, regarding her with a look of intense concern as he asked, "Are you all right now?" Maria nodded, putting him somewhat at ease. Then she said, "While I was out, I felt something… _strange_… I could feel something out there at the edge of the Solar System, moving fast. Someone's _out_ there, Shadow. Someone's out there in serious distress."

…_Last space pirate ship explodes in the wake of laser blasts. The ship is badly damaged and venting atmosphere. Look for a habitable world. There. Right there. Set in landing coordinates and hang on. Engines are failing. Landing gear's damaged. This is going to be a rough landing. Call for help? No. No time. Just hang on_…_ and pray the distress beacon is strong enough to reach home base. Bad injuries_…_ Losing consciousness_…_ Hang on! Entering atmosphere. Talk about a bumpy ride. Thrown against the pilot's seat, then against the controls, the pain is unbelievable_…_ Blackness is closing in_…_ No! No! Grasping controls in bloody hands, it's time to prepare for touchdown. Everything else comes second to that. If the landing is botched nothing else will matter. Pull up, pull up! Coming in too fast_…_ not good. Trees are visible through the windshield, alarms are blaring. The first impact comes as the ship strikes the nearest tree. The velocity is too much, as is the heat, as the ship plows through tree after tree before carving a deep gash in the ground. There. No more landing to worry about_…_ it's done. Damaged systems are venting poison gases. Fumbling for the hatch release to get out, the blackness falls in_…

The earthquake struck Knothole at around noon, throwing almost everyone off his or her feet. The comet had been visible in the sky until it slammed into the ground. Tails came running to report that it had been no comet but a ship. Maria already knew this. She told them all she knew; that there was only one person in the ship and that the person in question was badly injured and needed help. Sally didn't really have to do much of anything since Maria was already in full control of the situation. The crash site was about three miles off and they had no time to waste, so Maria assigned the four super-fast hedgehogs to the rescue party, herself included. All told, the rescue party consisted of Sonic, Shadow, Metal Sonic and Maria. All four were extremely fast, one had super strength and three could use Chaos Control. Wasting no more time on much of anything, the four of them set out, following Maria's sense of where the crashed ship was.

They smelled the distinct stench of burning oil and wood long before they saw the crash site. Then they were there. A ship that looked kind of like a spiky blue and white fighter jet lay on its side in a smoking crater. Its landing gear was extended, showing that the pilot had tried for a landing and failed miserably. Maria and Shadow both found the cockpit in less than an instant and were soon staring through the glass at the thick smoke that filled it to the point of total opacity while frantically fumbling around for an exterior release switch to open the hatch. There wasn't any time to waste, what with all the smoke in there. If they didn't hurry, whoever had been flying the ship would probably suffocate. Climbing up the side of the ship to join the two of them, Sonic abruptly stopped when he noticed the odd red symbol emblazoned on the ship's side. "Hey," he said, "Look at this. This thing looks kinda like the outline of a fox… but with wings." Turning from the cockpit, Shadow waved and called down to him, "Shut your yap and get your butt over here, faker!"

Over to the side, Maria had finally gotten the hatch open. She had to back up a little bit as a huge cloud of smoke immediately rose, filling the air. It eventually cleared enough for her to see and she got her first real look at the ship's pilot. The pilot was male, for one thing. That much was obvious, as was the fact that he was a fox. He wore a sleeveless leather flight jacket over what looked like a green bulletproof vest and a red bandanna around his neck. His denim pants were greenish and he wore silvery boots made of metal. He wore a dark leather belt that buckled with a golden triangle. Gloved hands still clutched the ship's controls. He also wore a light gray helmet emblazoned with the same symbol as what Sonic had noticed a few seconds earlier. Blood stained his semi-ragged clothes and he was out cold, having obviously taken a nasty blow to the head at some point during the crash. Not to mention that he'd almost suffocated in the smoke. Looking to the side at the two biological hedgehogs, Maria asked, "Okay, did you two remember to bring your Chaos Crystals along on this trip?" Sonic and Shadow both nodded quietly. Sonic held up the Chaos Topaz and Shadow held up the Chaos Emerald. Then she continued, "I'm going to use Chaos Control to get him back to the infirmary. Sonic, I want you and Shadow to do a tandem Chaos Control and bring the ship back to Knothole with you. We can't have Eggman getting a hold of this thing, or we're all going to be phenomenally screwed. Metal Sonic, just run on home, okay? Let's _go,_ people!"

Laying a hand on the mystery fox's shoulder and raising the Chaos Diamond high with the other, the two of them vanished in a flash of light. Sonic and Shadow began to get ready to go, moving to opposite ends of the ship. As they moved, Metal Sonic looked in the cockpit and discovered a partially shattered display screen still registering a message. **"SPPY CLING F. FX RSPOND. UGENT! UENT!" **The screen blinked twice with that garbled message, and then finally shorted out. The robot paid no more attention to it after that, merely noting that the ship's onboard computer still worked. Turning to Sonic and Shadow, he said, "Take the ship to Tails' workshop. He will most likely know what to do with it. I will head for home the normal way, as Maria suggested." The two hedgehogs nodded, and then used Chaos Control in tandem to sweep both themselves and the ship away. Once they were gone, Metal Sonic turned to leave. Revving up his turbine and jets at full power, he took off and headed back toward Knothole at top speed.

Far, far away, a froglike creature announced in a high, squeaky voice, "I'm not getting any response, Falco." The dark-hued avian being clenched his fists and fairly yelled, "_Keep trying,_ Slippy! We are _not_ giving up on Fox!" A rabbit cut in, "I can't detect the signal from his distress beacon anymore." Falco Lombardi, second in command for the Star Fox team, turned to him and growled, "Don't _you_ start in on me, Peppy! Set a course for the last known coordinates!" Peppy just nodded and did so. Soft footsteps were barely audible behind the lot of them. A gentle female voice said meekly, "Fox… Where is?" The lot of them turned to behold the attractive female fox standing behind them. Her beautiful blue fur shone in the light and her tail swished behind her. Krystal always turned heads, what with the way she dressed in the traditional garb of the rim world jungle aborigines. She repeated herself, her grasp of Standard having grown but still being limited. "Fox… Where is?" Falco shook his head slowly. "Fox is… lost." Krystal flinched at hearing that. She loved Fox more than anything. "Fox… gone?" Slippy answered before Falco could, "We don't know, Krystal. We don't know." Tears came to the blue-furred vixen's great dark eyes. "Fox lost," she said eventually, "Then we _find!_" Even with her meager grasp of Standard, she had summed up everyone else's thoughts perfectly. They had a mission now. The Great Fox, mobile base of the Star Fox team, turned gracefully and sped off.


	14. The other half of the cameo

Fox McCloud, elite pilot and leader of the Star Fox team, was surprised to find that he was alive. He thought he'd had it for sure that time. But where was he? Ignoring the pain in his head, he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. Sunlight streamed in through a window and he could hear birds chirping in the distance. Standing, he found that he appeared to be in some sort of semi-primitive medical facility, fusing high technology with archaic designs. Footsteps approached, and he whipped around to find himself standing face to face with what appeared to be a golden hedgehog. It let out a yelp of surprise, then rattled off a few sentences in a language he'd never heard before. After a moment, it tried to talk to him. He said, "I don't understand you." It asked him a question. He repeated, slower this time, _"I_… _don't_… _understand_… _you."_ It shook its head, appearing discouraged. Then its face brightened. It held up a large whitish gem and offered it to him. It nodded reassuringly, but he didn't know what to do. Eventually it reached out and seized his wrist in a gentle yet firm grip, taking his hand and placing it upon the flat surface of the gem. Then it spoke two words. As it spoke a diffuse glow built within the gem and he felt an unknown form of energy wash over him from the inside out. Then the hedgehog spoke again, but _this time he could understand._ "My name is Maria," _she_ said.

A few minutes later, the two of them were walking side by side between the huts of Knothole, her giving him a tour. Fox was amazed by the way technology and archaic designs were melded seamlessly together in this village. "Maria." The buzzing monotone voice drew his attention. What looked like a red-eyed mechanical hedgehog with a fully functional turbine in its chest was hovering in midair, turbine and heel jets working in tandem. "Maria, Sally sent me. She wants to see you at the receptor shack immediately. The orbital satellite network has detected something strange." She smiled and said, "Sure, Metal Sonic! I'll get right on it! Make sure our guest hooks up with Tails at the workshop, okay?" The robot, Metal Sonic, expertly landed in front of Fox. "I will do so," he stated. Maria thanked him politely. Then Fox's jaw dropped as waves of what appeared to be green light emanated from the center of her chest and she rose off the ground. Flying without wings, she soon disappeared behind a row of huts. The robotic hedgehog stated flatly, "Follow me." A bright flash distracted both of them. A black and red hedgehog appeared from out of nowhere, holding a green gem in one hand. He asked, "Hey, guys, is Maria here?" The robot, totally unfazed by his sudden appearance, replied, "She is at the receptor shack, Shadow." Shadow nodded. Then he raised the gem he held and shouted out, _"Chaos Control!" _Fox blinked stupidly as he vanished. Metal Sonic repeated, "Follow me." Not knowing what else to do, he just followed his robotic tour guide to wherever he went.

When he saw the charred wooden warehouse-like structure, Fox knew that this was his destination. Going around to the opposite side, he saw his ship sitting out front, partially repaired. A little fox with two tails was zipping around through the air like he had a helicopter attached to his butt, continuing to repair the state-of-the-art spacecraft as best he could. His robotic guide stepped forward and called out, "Tails, our visitor is here." The child made a semi-graceful landing and walked up to Fox. Fox himself was rather surprised, since the child wasn't even ten years old. "Hi," the child said, "I'm Miles Prower, but most everyone calls me Tails. I've been fixing your ship. It'll be done before long, I hope. I'm having a little bit of trouble with the computerized systems, though." Metal Sonic stepped up and requested, "I believe I can be of assistance in that area, Tails. Allow me to handle the ship's onboard computer, machine to machine." Tails nodded to him. Fox spoke up too. "It's been a while since I gave this baby a tune-up. Let me help too." They got to work, Fox sticking near Tails and Metal Sonic clambering up to the cockpit.

Metal Sonic climbed into the pilot's seat and got down to business. Tails had managed to repair the controls, but it was up to him to make sure that the computer still functioned. He thought about how to do it, and he eventually settled on going for a firsthand view. It wasn't his first choice, or even his second or third choice. As a matter of fact, it was his last choice. But he had to do it. There was no other way. Pulling out a wire from within his own body, he hacked into the system. At first, nothing happened except the system's activation. Then reality itself fractured around him. Data streamed through his mind; star charts, navigational trajectories, system maps… He had gained unlimited access to the information stored in the computer's data banks, almost as if he had _become_ it. The computer, its batteries drained, was drawing the power it needed to function from the nearest power source: Metal Sonic himself. Like a vampire drinking its victim's blood, it was draining him dry. The robot didn't notice, as in his mind he was the ship itself. He remembered the Great Fox, the battles, the many times he had borne Fox McCloud through the skyways like a great gleaming chariot. He relived the crash, remembered the function he had been unable to complete before power failure. This was his chance! He could do it now! Focusing on the heavens, pressing out and out until his mind located the Great Fox, he sent out the distress call. He could feel his strength returning to him, full functionality returning as well. …And yet, somewhere far, far away, he could feel an empty shell growing weaker and weaker, almost completely drained of power…

On the edge of the system, Peppy fairly shouted, "The signal has resumed! Falco, _I'm reading a signal from Fox's distress beacon!_" Falco fairly jumped up at that and said, "Track the signal! Full speed ahead! That's where he is!" Krystal perked up at hearing that. She asked, "Fox found?" Slippy cheered, _"Yes!" _The blue-furred vixen let out a wordless squeal of pure joy, and then said, "We go now! _We go to Fox!_" Multiple elated cheers followed her statement. The Great Fox sped up even more, following the signal.

"Well," Tails said, "The ship's fixed." A persistent beeping whine drew the attention of Fox and Tails. "The distress beacon," Fox said. Tails replied, "But how is it working? The power's off!" After a momentary pause, the two-tailed child called out, "Hey, Metal Sonic! How did you manage that?" There was no response. Tails called out again and, again, there was no response. Turning to Fox, he said, "Something's not right about this. I'd better check on him." Fox followed. They looked into the cockpit and saw Metal Sonic sitting motionless in the pilot's seat. Tails said, "Hey, are you all right?" The robot didn't respond, didn't even seem to register their presence. Fox moved to the side for a better look at the screens, while Tails tried to get Metal Sonic's attention. After a moment of careful scrutinizing, Fox said, "The computer's in charging mode, drawing power from somewhere. But what could it be drawing power _from?_" Tails reached out to lightly shake Metal Sonic's shoulder and get his attention that way. But he stopped, for the robot's body flopped limply against the side of the cockpit with a rough clanging sound. This left the wire exposed for all to see. Then Tails understood. "The computer… It's drawing power from… from _him!_" Seeing no other way and having no time to look for one, Tails just seized the wire and pulled, disconnecting Metal Sonic from the computer. The wire quickly retracted, vanishing into the robot's body in seconds. Metal Sonic returned to himself, feeling weaker than ever before. He stared up, blurred smears of color swirling in his vision. His neon eyes were barely on. "Can you hear me?" Looking up at the dim brown blur that he now knew was Tails; Metal Sonic struggled to speak the child's name. "This is very bad. His power core's been drained almost completely." There was a pause. Then Tails said to Fox, "Help me get him to the generator in my workshop. If he doesn't get more energy in his power core _fast,_ he's done for." The next few minutes were an extremely tense scramble, but they made it in time. Soon Metal Sonic was resting, having shut down to recharge. Tails and Fox finished repairing the ship while they were waiting for the robot to recover fully. When they were done, they didn't bother to clean up. They just both sacked out on the nearest horizontal surface, being incredibly pooped after working so hard for so long. Tails had curled up into a ball and was snoring softly, sitting in the pilot's seat. Fox lay stretched out on the wing, sawing some major logs.

Metal Sonic was good as new in the morning. It was time for a test run to see if their repairs had worked. Tails turned to Fox and said, "You ready to test this puppy out?" Fox nodded and replied, "You better believe it." He got in the cockpit, putting on his helmet and getting ready to go. He waved to Tails. The child held up the handheld radio he carried, which was tuned to the communication frequency Fox's ship operated on. That way they could swap in-flight information. The engines fired and the ship did a slow, graceful-seeming vertical takeoff. Everybody who could climb trees did so, since the towering redwoods would otherwise obscure their view of whatever happened next. The whole of Knothole watched as the stupendous blue and white ship wheeled and turned in the sky like a graceful bird in flight. Metal Sonic, perched precariously one tree over from where Tails was, waved to the child. Tails gave a thumbs-up sign, indicating that everything was good. Then Fox spoke up. "I'm seeing something in the forest about two hundred miles from your location… looks like a stone pyramid of some kind. I'm transmitting the coordinates to you." Tails recorded those for later perusal.

A swarm of robotic jets appeared over the horizon. Spying them, Tails said, "Head for space! They can't follow you there!" The response confused him. "I never told you what I do for a living," he replied. Tails asked, "What does _that_ have to do with anything?" Fox said finally, "I'll _show_ you!" The spiky ship spun on a dime and, moments later, was engaged in a spectacular dogfight with the slower, stupider jets. They went down in rapid succession, until there were no more. "I'm a fighter pilot by trade," Fox said, "I do _this_ for a living." A flock of super-streamlined silver arrows came out of nowhere. These were a thousand times faster and smarter than their predecessors, giving the lone Fox a real run for his money. Just when things were starting to look dire, a massive laser blast came from on high, destroying several super-jets with one hit. Tails cried, "Holy cow, what's _that?_" A powerful signal was audible to both of them. A squeaky voice called out, _"We're here, Fox!"_ Fox laughed out loud. "Hey! It's the Great Fox! My teammates are here!" Then a sharp-sounding voice said, _"You can't stay out of trouble while we're gone, can you?" _Fox replied, "Stow the gab, will you? I'm trying to not get blown up here!" The only response to that came in the form of several more volleys from the huge ship that was now slowly descending from the sky on a thick pillar of fire, filling the air with a deafening roar. Facing vastly superior firepower, all the remaining super-jets retreated. Fox said his farewells to everyone via Tails' handheld radio and headed for the sky. The huge ship rose as well, riding its pillar of fire, and both of them soon disappeared from all sight.

Retuning the radio to an entirely new frequency, the four hedgehogs quickly organized for a trip to the odd pyramid Fox had sighted during his flight. Maria carried the radio clutched to her chest as she led them off into the forest. The trip was very short when they used their superior speed, and they reached the site in only about twenty minutes.

Maria gasped as she stared through the drapery of hanging moss at the towering ziggurat that seemingly jutted out of the rock itself. The stone was still in remarkably good condition, a cold gray hue. More moss encrusted the stone in a few spotty patches. A steep staircase was cut right into the side of the pyramid. Maria led the others up the stairs, toward the temple that obviously topped the pyramid. At the top, she looked around. Nothing but treetops was visible all around, but the sky was directly overhead. Using the Chaos Diamond's pervasive glow to light her way, she stepped into the temple. She let another gasp escape her throat as she stared at the wall carvings. She was looking at something no eyes had seen for hundreds if not thousands of years. Looking closer, she noticed the figures carved into the wall. These figures were _familiar_ somehow… The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh… my… _god,_" she whispered, in awe.


	15. An angel's duty

-1

Back in Knothole, the radio crackled to life. The signal buzzed with a little static, but the words were clear. "Tell Knuckles to get over here pronto." Manning the transmission interceptor, Sally sent Amy to fetch the echidna. Then she said, "Aren't you aware of how far away you are?" Maria's voice replied, "I don't care. Have him be ready for pickup _fast._ I'll use Chaos Control and fetch him myself." That gave them a clue as to how important this was to her. Long distance Chaos Controls were very hard. More than fifty miles and it became painful. If she was willing to pull off not just one but a _pair_ of _two hundred_ mile ones, then getting Knuckles over there quickly had to be pretty darn important to her.

The echidna fidgeted nervously, not quite sure what the heck was up. Maria appeared in a flash of light, and then fell down to land right on her butt. He ran to help her up, but she recovered and said, "Knuckles, you're our best bet on this. Come on. _Hurry._" She grabbed his hand, which dwarfed hers by far, and then said, "This is going to be a really bad ride." She raised the Chaos Diamond high and called out, _"Chaos Control!"_ The two of them vanished in a flash of light exactly like the one that had brought her. Upon materializing at their destination, Knuckles felt like he had a wicked hangover. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked to Maria. She looked like she felt the same, but twice over. It made him decide not to complain. What right did he have to complain if she felt twice as bad and quietly endured it? Looking around, he saw that they stood atop a pyramid, the same pyramid as what Fox had described to them, by a largish doorway that led into a dark chamber.

Maria hefted the Chaos Diamond, gestured for him to follow her, and then went in. At first he thought he would be groping around in the dark, but the decrease in light let him see that the Chaos Diamond was glowing, and that glow was enough for him to see. She led him to a nearby wall and said, "Look at this, and tell me what you see." He looked at the carved figures… and almost died of pure shock when he finally identified them. Stepping back, he exclaimed in a voice made breathless by unadulterated surprise, "Maria, these _figures_… they're echidnas." He looked around more, and then said, "I could _really_ use some more light here." Maria beckoned to Shadow and Sonic, asking them to bring their Chaos Crystals closer. The combined light lit up the whole wall. Now they could see the carving on the wall. It was a vista of ruins on Angel Island, the temple where the Master Emerald was located. The main focus was on the sky, where all seven Chaos Crystals hung in a circle around the Master Emerald, which was held by a stylized hedgehog. The hedgehog held the gem high over its head in both hands, enveloped in a veil of light. An inscription was visible just above the picture. "I can _read_ this," Knuckles said with a little bit of shock. Maria asked, "What does it say?" He paused, squinting thoughtfully, then said, _"For all time and none the echidnas must roam, till an angel of gold shall bring them all home."_ Off to the side she saw a picture of that same stylized hedgehog, this time holding a whitish gem. The picture had been painted a long time ago, and remnants of that paint were still visible. The hedgehog was… yellow? All of them got a sense of weirdness when they saw the picture. It was a picture of Maria. The ancient artists had gotten every detail about her perfect, right down to the scar on her sternum. She pointed at it and then said softly, "That's… _me_…" Then she continued, totally incredulous, "This ancient writing speaks of an angel of gold… I'm golden and I was once known as the Angel!" She looked at the picture again, that hedgehog surrounded by the Chaos Crystals. "I'll never know unless I try," she said. Then she turned to the others and said, "Sonic, Shadow, I know this sounds stupid but can you lend me your Chaos Crystals?" The two hedgehogs gave her weird looks, but handed their gems over. Knuckles tossed her his. She now had four of the seven. She stashed them in the bag she had made from her old dress, then turned and left. A new quest had just been laid before her. She didn't know why she was doing this, but it felt right to do it and so she would.

A combination of Chaos Control and natural speed carried her across the land at a velocity that made Sonic and Shadow look like a pair of lame snails in comparison. She found the Chaos Sapphire quickly, along with the Chaos Amethyst. A secret sabotage mission had swapped Eggman's Chaos Onyx with a fake, hiding the real one. She found it as well. All seven Chaos Crystals rested in her bag as she stopped to ponder why she was doing this. She wasn't sure, really. But it felt… _right_ somehow. Was it truly her destiny to wield great power and save a long lost race? It was a daunting idea to say the least, but she knew that destiny went where the heart led, and she was following her heart.


	16. The Master Emerald's power

-1About a week later, she finally used the radio she still carried. "I'm heading for Angel Island," she said, "Tell Knuckles, Metal Sonic, Shadow and Sonic to meet me there." Using Chaos Control, she teleported to Angel Island. She found herself standing on a flat plain next to a mountain range. A huge doorway yawned before her. This was the entrance to the temple that held the Master Emerald. She had to go in there, but she wouldn't do it without Knuckles and her friends by her side. And speaking of her friends… Shadow and Sonic hit the scene at the same instant, then immediately started bickering over who had outraced who. Knuckles glided in, and she once again wondered how the heck he did that. The roar of what sounded like a jet heralded Metal Sonic's arrival. "I'm glad you're all here," she said with a smile. Sonic and Shadow both smiled back. Metal Sonic nodded silently. Knuckles said, "No, I wouldn't miss this for _anything._ But I would have thought you'd just go on ahead, since you know what to do next." Maria replied, "No way. I'd feel like a vandal or just a jerk if I entered the sacred place of the echidnas without permission. Plus I have no clue how to get there. Knowing _you,_ it's probably got booby traps galore." Taken aback by her considerateness, Knuckles offered to guide her. She smiled. He entered the temple. Maria followed him. Sonic, Shadow and Metal Sonic followed her.

The journey through the temple's labyrinthine passages was a lot shorter than everybody except Knuckles had expected it to be. Soon they stood outside the chamber that held the Master Emerald. The moment had an intensely religious feeling to it as Maria slowly approached the pedestal that bore the mystical gem. Sonic whispered to Shadow, "I feel like I'm in a church!" The dark hedgehog promptly socked him in the arm. "_Shut up, _faker!" The circular area around the pedestal was raised slightly, meaning she had to step up to the pedestal. She couldn't quite bring herself to touch the gem yet, so her curious fingertips explored the pedestal itself. There was a soft click as she found something that had been hidden so well that Knuckles hadn't known of it. Some unknown agency raised a circle of seven pillars around the Master Emerald's pedestal. Markings on each of the pedestals let Maria know what she was supposed to do. "Place the Chaos Crystals… on the pedestals…" She didn't know she was talking out loud. "Topaz," she said, placing the yellow gem. "Sapphire," she continued, placing the deep blue stone. "Ruby," she intoned, placing the red gem. "Onyx," she said, placing the black stone. "Diamond," she intoned, placing the white gem. "Amethyst," she continued, placing the deep purple stone. "Emerald," she finished, placing the green gem. Then she paused for a long moment.

The seven Chaos Crystals immediately began to shine brightly, beams of colored light connecting each stone to each other stone, and to the Master Emerald. Maria returned to the central pedestal, knowing that there could be no more tiptoeing around the issue. Much as she felt unworthy, she had to touch the Master Emerald. What would happen when she did? She didn't know. Reaching out with both hands, trembling meekly, she slowly approached the central pedestal. Something calmed her, sending soothing waves through her body. She smiled. Her fingertips made contact with the gem's surface, and then all of a sudden she laid her hands on it completely, as if some unknown force had magnetically drawn them down. A strangled sound emanated from her throat as her face twisted in a sudden grimace of pain. She doubled over with a choked cry, now apparently lying on the pedestal with the Master Emerald pressed against her chest. Shadow cried her name and tried to go to her, but Sonic stopped him before he could go two steps. "There's nothing you can do," the blue hedgehog said, "This is beyond even your power."

A circle of rainbow light formed all around her, centered upon the ring of pillars. It swiftly brightened until no one could see anything. There was a loud rush, as of great hurricane winds. When everybody could see again, they found that they had been magically moved to the very pinnacle of the pyramidal temple. Night had long since fallen, as if Time had warped while they were in the temple. Now it was dawn. Maria, now in _human_ form, slowly straightened up, and they all gasped again upon seeing her face. Her face was blank and emotionless, eyes wide and shining with rainbow light. The night was utterly windless, but a light breeze from nowhere made her hair and dress rustle slightly. She held her hands as if she had the Master Emerald cupped in them, but the gem was actually levitating five inches above her palms. The circle of light brightened a little. The phantom wind's pattern changed, becoming what appeared to be a light updraft. She appeared frozen as she was slowly lifted off the ground. The seven gems rose with her, not breaking their circle, orbiting her like planets around the sun. Twenty feet up and rotating in midair, totally motionless save for that ethereal breeze that only she could feel, she faced Knuckles, hands held before her heart, Master Emerald glowing bright, and spoke two short sentences in a melodious, fluidic language unrecognizable to all but one. **"Be not afraid, Guardian. All will be well." **Knuckles cried, "She's speaking in the ancient ritual language of my people!" Now they all realized that it wasn't Maria speaking at all. Some higher power was speaking through her. She gazed at the Master Emerald as if reading something profound in its verdant depths, raising the gem as if scrutinizing it at arm's length. She spoke again then, and her voice echoed powerfully as she said words she had never heard before and by all rights should not have known. _"The servers are the seven Chaos."_ Her voice was rolling thunder, echoing off the surrounding plains and the mountain range that extended off into the distance. _"Chaos is power."_ The two very confused hedgehogs, the bewildered robot and the profoundly scared echidna could only stand there and stare up at the sky, at this woman-turned-goddess. _"Power is enriched by the heart_._"_ Knuckles had an undeniable urge to kneel and pray, to bow and worship this goddess who had once been a friend of his. _"The controller is the one who unifies the Chaos."_ Shadow stared, for the first time in his life feeling as though he was an insignificant and puny creature creeping across the face of something great and terrible. _"Only you can do this."_ Maria moved as if to offer the Master Emerald to the heavens above as the first rays of dawn bathed her and the eight blazing gems in rosy light. _"Bring them home."_ Rays of colored light leapt from each of the seven circling Chaos Crystals to the Master Emerald, which started to glow brighter and brighter until at last it shone like a green-hued sun come out of the sky. A thick ray of shimmering rainbow-hued energy speared out from the Master Emerald, jutting straight up into the sky like a beacon and blasting clear out of the atmosphere without dimming a bit, passing even the moon.


	17. Well, Knuckles should be happy

It stayed like that for a moment, and then erupted outward, sending a multicolored shockwave out in all directions. The watchers turned and looked on in awe as the wave of light expanded through the deserted field. Where it passed a village blossomed like a flower in the spring, as if the wave was rewriting reality everywhere it touched. Echidnas of all ages appeared as well, hundreds of them, male and female, old and young and in between. Knuckles practically passed out at the sight of them. All of these newly arrived echidnas were pointing up at them and staring. They all turned. Maria, once again in her hedgehog form, still levitated there, arms outstretched and head tilted back, out cold and supported by some unknown force. The seven Chaos Crystals broke their circle, the unclaimed ones scattering all over the world as their owners reclaimed the others. The Master Emerald drifted down like a falling leaf, coming to rest in Knuckles' hands like a dove in its nest. The same happened to Maria, although she came to rest on the temple's roof. Shadow went to her side almost instantaneously. Sonic, Knuckles and Metal Sonic were all staring down at the vast crowd that had just… _appeared_ below. The air was filled with the dull roar of many voices speaking at once, all the echidnas talking to each other about what was going on. Sonic checked out the crowd gathered down below. There were all sorts of echidnas standing around down there. There were brown echidnas and black echidnas and orange echidnas and echidnas with dreadlocks and echidnas with braids and old echidnas and little baby echidnas… Sonic spotted the scarlet-hued female at the same time Knuckles gave a huge gasp, hands covering his mouth and eyes wide. He whispered, "That… _can't_ be… It _is!_" Sonic flinched as the red echidna shouted at the top of his lungs, **_"MAATI!"_** Then he… jumped off the pyramid. Bounding down the steps, he headed for the crowd. The scarlet female looked up to see him coming down and ran to meet him. As Sonic watched, the scarlet woman held Knuckles in a hug, and the crimson echidna laid his head upon her shoulder, apparently sobbing unashamedly. A grizzled, elderly male approached and Knuckles reacted with joy. Two very young children ran up. Knuckles had to kneel to hug them, but he did. Behind Sonic, Maria awakened. Getting up, she reclaimed the Chaos Diamond. Standing over the crowd, she saw the language barrier between the two races. She could fix that. She raised the gem high and intoned in a low yet resonant voice, _"Chaos Unity."_ There was a quick, momentary flash of light, and then Sonic noticed the effect of her action. Thinking back on Knuckles' actions, he remembered the echidna's shout. **_"MAATI!_**_ MOTHER!__**"**_ Were these his friend's parents? His family? The two little echidnas sure seemed happy to see him. Were they his siblings? Listening in on the conversation passing between them, Sonic figured out what the situation had been with the disappearance of the echidna race. They had been frozen in time, so they were all just as Knuckles remembered them, but he was not as they remembered him. He'd grown up into a full-fledged adult. They hadn't changed a bit.

Just then, Knuckles turned, looked up at the top of the temple, waved and called out, "Hey, guys! Sonic! Shadow! Come meet my family!" Shadow and Sonic displayed their incredible speed, tearing down the sides of the pyramid. Metal Sonic simply revved up his turbine, ignited his heel jets and swept grandly down to the ground below. The robotic hedgehog's arrival put almost all the echidnas into a tizzy, since none of them had ever seen a robot before. They reacted with fear at first, but Knuckles' calm in Metal Sonic's presence soothed their initial fear. The grace and grandeur of Metal Sonic's arrival was soon put to shame by Maria's descent. Clasping the Chaos Diamond in both slender hands and enveloped in a haze of green light that trailed behind her, the golden hedgehog gracefully levitated down from the top of the pyramid to gently drift down to land beside Knuckles as softly as a falling leaf. Then they introduced themselves to the crowd. Sonic said, "I'm Sonic, the fastest hedgehog you'll ever meet. And this faker here…" Shadow smacked him upside the head and then cut in, "Pay no attention to the faker. I'm the ultimate life form and I'm called Shadow for… obvious reasons." Metal Sonic simply stated, "I was built to be Sonic's mechanized counterpart, and thusly I am called Metal Sonic." Maria finished, "My name is Maria, but some call me the Angel." That last word passed through the crowd until each echidna had both heard and said it t least once if not more.

The old echidna that had revealed that he was Knuckles' father stepped up and said, "I am called Locke and I was Guardian before my son. This is my wife Kwela and these two youngsters are twins, Dart and Echo. You already know my firstborn child." Pointing at Maria, he continued gruffly, "You. You are the Angel, are you not?" Maria nodded and chirped merrily, "I am." He said, "You followed the prophecy and freed us from our ancient prison, unfreezing us in time itself." She replied, "I did." He then continued, "You tapped into the power of the Master Emerald even though only the Guardian can do that." She answered, "I did." Knuckles spoke up. "Father," he said, "For a moment back there some higher power spoke through her. Something _possessed_ her as she used the power of the Chaos Crystals to bring you home. It spoke in the ancient ritual language and knew me as Guardian on sight." Locke's eyes grew wide as he heard that. He whispered, "Full spirit melding…" Then he said, "That hasn't been seen since ancient times! Only one Guardian every millennium even has the _potential_ to do that!" Knuckles interrupted, "I don't understand, Father. Full spirit melding? What's that?" Locke explained, "As a Guardian, you are attuned to the Master Emerald's power and can use it at times of great need. You can sense the location of the Chaos Crystals and tell when Chaos energy is used or unleashed anytime, anywhere. You're linked to the Master Emerald. Its power is part of you. Well, spirit melding is in essence a strengthening of that link. In _full_ spirit melding, the link becomes so powerful that there can be no distinction made between the two. The Guardian and the Master Emerald become _one._" Knuckles gasped, "Father, you _can't_ mean…" Locke nodded, and then finished, "That wasn't your friend. _You were hearing the voice of the Master Emerald._" Maria was astonished, but she could believe it. She said, "I think you may be right about that, sir. I don't remember all that much about what happened after I touched the Master Emerald. But as it happened I could feel something strange taking hold within me, some sort of awesome power rising up from out of nowhere like a tidal wave of energy. Then there was this… this _light_ inside me and…"


	18. The Awakening

-1Beside them, Knuckles still held the Master Emerald. It was getting decidedly slick. _Man,_ he thought; _My hands must be sweating something awful._ It felt as though the gem was greased now, and it was slipping from his grasp. It fell; he caught it and juggled it between both hands for a moment, then had no choice but to let it fall into the grass. "Okay," he snarled, "Who put _grease_ on the _Master Emerald?_" Maria dropped down to pick it up and said, "Let me get that for you." Then she fell backwards to land on her rear with a thump and screamed in total shock because there was water coming out of the gem and the water was forming a _face_… She could only sit and stare as the odd creature continued to emerge from the Master Emerald. It was blue, for one thing, with huge lime green eyes that glowed with an unnatural yet unthreatening light. Its outline was quivery, as if it was made of water. Judging from the odd method of its emergence, it _was_ made of water. It was down in a crouch, regarding her with those odd eyes as if to ask 'Who the heck are you?' It was an amorphous manlike shape about her size, with huge flipper-like appendages in place of hands. She looked into its face. No mouth, no nose, no ears, just those creepy eyes. Maria gaped, as did Shadow and Sonic. Knuckles happened to be confused. Metal Sonic was just fascinated. The echidnas looked completely terrified. Maria was now down in a crouch as well, just like the odd creature that had just emerged from the Master Emerald. She shifted to the right a little and was shocked when the watery being did the same. After a moment of staring, she shifted to the left and it imitated her again. "…I think it's trying to communicate with me…" Raising her right hand, she held it palm outward and reached forward. It did the same until they were palm to flipper-like appendage. She pulled back at the strangeness of its touch, feeling water dripping down her palm. It hit the grass and moved out like transparent snakes to reunite with the being that was its source.

And then something else happened. A good hundred flares of light appeared in a ring around both Maria and the odd creature, also materializing amid the crowd. The flares resolved into a veritable throng of little creatures of all sorts of colors, all of which were about the height of everybody's kneecaps. Some had downy feathers and little horns, some had horse's hoofs and others had catlike tails. Wide, soulful dark eyes blinked at the change in surroundings. Smallish spheres atop a multitude of small heads curved into a question mark as the creatures inadvertently broadcasted their confusion at this new development. All the hedgehogs, the biological ones anyway, were taken aback by their sheer cuteness. Knuckles felt that way too. However, the other echidnas seemed pretty scared by the sight of them. "Chao… **_EEK!_**" Several of the little critters which the echidnas had called 'Chao' approached Maria and the watery being. She saw them and was enthralled by their cuteness. "You're darling little guys," she said in a soft, soothing voice. Reaching out, she tried to coax the closest one to her. A little brown one with an especially sweet face came to her and she hugged it, the sphere atop its head morphing into a heart. The others came to her, leaving the crowd to follow their compatriot's lead, their spheres morphing into exclamation points as they realized she was a friend. A couple blue tufted ones went up to Sonic and the red ones unanimously flocked to Knuckles. Some even went to Shadow. But the majority gathered around Maria. "You need names," she said to the throng of happy Chao. The one that had first jumped into her arms was the first to get a name. "You're Fuzzie." A cold-eyed blackish one standing nearby was called Chasm. Another, this one a shiny red one by Knuckles was named Elvis. One of Sonic's blue ones was called Speedy and another was Azure. One of Shadow's received the name Shade because he looked like a tiny version of the dark hedgehog, another was called Onyx. And so it went, on and on, until all the Chao had names. Putting Fuzzie down, she stood up and said, "C'mon, guys, let's find you someplace to stay. I'm betting you're probably hungry, too. Who's up for dinner at a new home?" She began to walk away and all the Chao followed her, including the ones that had gone to the other hedgehogs. The whole pack moved with her, little legs moving fast to keep up with the much taller hedgehog. There was a flash of amber light as a young light brown female echidna clad in archaic garb materialized next to her and said, "Their home is Chao Garden. It's nearby, in a hidden part of the temple. Let's go." Maria nodded, and then turned to follow her as the Chao followed suit. Then, once again seeing the odd watery being that had emerged from the Master Emerald and scared the heck out of her, she stopped her guide and asked, "Who are you? And what is that?" The echidna turned and said, "I am Tikal. And 'that' is Chaos Zero, guardian god of all Chao and hidden secret of the Master Emerald." Hearing his name mentioned, Chaos Zero looked at them and made a sound like a babbling brook. "He says hello," the echidna said with a smile. "Oh… um… Hello," Maria replied shyly, not sure how to respond to being greeted in such an odd way. Having had her previous question answered to her satisfaction, she said no more, merely following her guide to wherever they were going. The watery being, Chaos Zero, stood up fully and watched the two girls leaving with the Chao, expressed his satisfaction by making a sound like somebody dropping a large rock into a lake on a windy day, and then returned to the Master Emerald in the same way he emerged, leaving not a drop of moisture behind.


	19. A new enemy strikes

-1In a vast, dark room far, far away, a white-gloved hand reached out to flip a switch. Thick bolts of electricity crawled along exposed wires that led to an inert dark form. A loud, bone-rattling buzz filled the air. Light from dimly glowing mechanisms illuminated a table trimmed in white, upon which rested something vaguely shiny. The electricity provided a little more light on the figure resting on the table, reflecting off… armor? Yes, it was metallic armor and it appeared to be black trimmed with red. The figure on the table twitched slightly. "It's alive…" Twin hellish red lights ignited as one as the figure on the table stirred again, this time showing coordination. **_"IT'S ALIVE!"_** A roaring, insane cackle followed as the figure, a black and red robotic hedgehog, sat up and looked around for the first time. "My deadliest creation… The ultimate weapon… Cyber Shadow _lives!_" The newly awakened Cyber Shadow stood and spoke for the first time. His voice was low and chilling. "Greetings, my master. I am ready to serve." Reddish light reflected off round glasses as a threatening voice said, "You are to seek out the Freedom Fighters, and the traitor Metal Sonic. When you find them, my Cyber Shadow… **_KILL THEM!_**" That insane cackle came again as the newly created robot knelt before his master.

Maria and Metal Sonic had been sent out on their team assignment again. They were more careful this time around, dividing up the nights between them so not a moment went unmonitored. Maria did her level best to be aware of everything happening within her line of sight. Metal Sonic tried his hardest to let nothing go unnoticed, no matter how small. From now on, he wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than the best from himself. Things were very suspicious, though. No patrols were passing through the forest. It was almost as if Doctor Eggman had completely given up on tracking them. That fact in itself should have been a good thing, but Maria couldn't help but feel that something was up. "This is strange," she told Metal Sonic, "This is the first time Eggman's ever been this laid back about his attempts to find us." The robot replied, "I agree. This situation is indeed very abnormal. He must be planning something major." They were both profoundly startled as a shadow fell over them and a new yet familiar sounding voice rang out. "And indeed he is!" There was no time to act or react as a dark flash streaked straight toward them. Metal Sonic reacted, calmly pushing Maria aside and stepping forward to meet the foe. An instant later he was hand to hand and face to face with the enemy, locked in a childish shove-fest with a black-armored robotic hedgehog. "I am Cyber Shadow," the newcomer said, "And you are doomed." Each was trying to force the other back, matching strength against strength in what would obviously be a stalemate. Metal Sonic replied, "You must deal with me first." Sparing his partner a moment of attention without letting his guard down, he added, "Retreat. I will handle this." She clutched the Chaos Diamond to her and took a step back, preparing to run. The two robots were at a standstill, too evenly matched. "You are strong, traitor." Cyber Shadow commended his opponent, respecting his strength, seemingly sincere yet also hiding something big. "A pity you do not have the same abilities as I do." Metal Sonic wondered what he was talking about, but only for a moment. Then he was abruptly thrown back, feeling as if he'd just touched a live wire. "W-what…" Looking up, he saw tendrils of electricity crawling from his opponent's hands. He tried to stand back up, but the electricity had fried his motility circuits, rendering him effectively paralyzed from the waist down. Cyber Shadow stepped up closer and placed his right foot on Metal Sonic's chest plate. "I should destroy you right here, right now." The felled robotic hedgehog screamed in agony as a second blast of electricity ripped through him. _"Stop it!" _That cry resounded loudly, a shouted challenge. Maria was lunging from the side, intending to take him full on. Cyber Shadow's only reaction was to reach out with a swift grab. He caught her by the throat and the Chaos Diamond fell from her hands to land beside Metal Sonic as her attack turned into a struggle to escape. She closed her eyes. Cyber Shadow said, "You are not getting away that easily. Say goodbye to Chaos Control." A ball of pure green fire enveloped her and soon she found that all she could do was struggle to escape the old-fashioned way. "In me my master has harnessed the power of the Master Emerald. And the Master Emerald exists solely to neutralize the power of the Chaos Crystals." He strangled her a little to get his point across and to demonstrate her total helplessness. Turning, he dealt the paralyzed, vulnerable Metal Sonic a vicious kick right in the face, sending him tumbling off to the side like the limp rag he essentially was at that point. "I should destroy you. I really should." There was a long pause, during which Metal Sonic gave Cyber Shadow a defiant glare. "But I will not. You are to serve a greater purpose." Igniting his built-in jetpack, he took to the air, hauling the struggling Maria along with him. "You are to deliver my message. She dies at midnight… unless the others meet me at the edge of the forest." Metal Sonic renewed his struggles to get up and do something at hearing that. "No… No!" But there was nothing he could do to stop him. He could only watch them go and continue to voice his feeble protests, powerless to help his partner or even himself.

Then, with a roar of jets and a cry for help from Maria, the two of them, hostage and hostage-taker, were gone from sight. He struggled to stand and failed. His legs were completely useless, but he could move his arms a little. Seeing no other way, he dug his claws into the dirt and dragged himself forward. But he could only move a few inches at a time, and he could feel a residual charge slowly frying his remaining circuits. It would only be a matter of time until he lost all ability to move. And after that it wouldn't be long until he hit total systems failure. He decided that he had to call for help. There was no choice, so he activated his automated distress signal. "…Tails…" he pleaded, "…Hear me…" In the meantime, he would try with what little mobility he had left. He reached out and grabbed the Chaos Diamond, realizing that he had to hold on to it. At that moment the residual charge finally took away the last of his ability to move. The dry, dusty dirt would have been soft and cool against the side of his face had he the ability to feel it. His hands were frozen in the motion of clawing for a handhold to drag his useless, paralyzed body forward. All he could do was stare at the network of roots he'd fallen next to and listen to the sounds of the forest all around him. Listening for the possibility of rescue, he thought of how he'd just failed Maria. His thoughts were slowly fading away, his neon eyes dimming. Gradually, he began to give up on the possibility of rescue. "I wonder if anyone will ever find me," he said to himself. It would be so easy to just let go, to surrender to the approaching blackness. But what of Maria? What would happen to her if he was never found? He wouldn't just give in to what was happening. No, he would hang on until the bitter end. He _would_ be found. Things _would_ be okay. He just had to believe it would be so. All he could do was trust in Fate and believe he would be found. It dawned on him that this was _faith,_ an emotion he had long thought beyond him. Letting that sustain him along with bitter determination, he decided to fight to the bitter end no matter what happened.


	20. They finally just admit it

Voices cut through the silence of the forest. Tails was there, as were Sonic and Shadow. Shadow's voice asked, "Are you sure this is the right place?" Tails' voice replied, "Yes, I am." Sonic said, "Shut up and keep looking, faker." There was the sound of a sharp swat. Tails then interrupted, "Quit it, you two. Judging from the signal, he's somewhere close." Sonic said, "I don't see him anywhere." Metal Sonic knew he had to alert them to his presence or they would assume the signal had been a malfunction and leave him to meet a slow demise. Gathering his strength, he forced out, "...He...here... HERE!" He shouted it as loud as he could, which actually wasn't very loud at all. They heard and came running. Tails had known to bring his toolbox, since he knew Metal Sonic would _never_ use the distress signal unless the situation was dire. He prepared to get right to work on the spot, rolling the felled robotic hedgehog onto his back. Shadow came up beside him and said, his voice frantic, "Where is Maria?" Metal Sonic struggled to answer him. "…H-he… took her…" Sonic knelt and asked, "Who?" The answer was barely even a feeble whisper. "…Cyber… Shadow…" Shadow's voice was cold and sharp as the demanded, "Did he _say_ anything?" Metal Sonic, although weak, was just as agitated as the dark hedgehog. "…Blocking… Chaos powers…" He struggled to raise his hand, to show Shadow that he now had the Chaos Diamond. "…Will kill… at midnight…" The dark hedgehog flinched at hearing that, his temper rising at the threat to his greatest friend. "…Meet him... edge of the forest…" Tails was working frantically until he discovered a way to increase the time he could use. "…Save… her…" Metal Sonic's voice distorted and quickly trailed off into nothingness as Tails activated his power-conserving emergency response system, thereby sending him into stasis lock, a mechanized condition that was somewhat analogous to a deep coma.

Metal Sonic awakened an hour before midnight, feeling a second emotion totally unfamiliar to him. He had felt faith before, now he was feeling indignation. Knowing what Tails had done, he sought out the young fox and said, "I cannot believe it. You shut me off!" Tails replied, "It was the only way I could save you. Otherwise it would have been way too late." Understanding, he left Tails' workshop to seek out Sonic and Shadow. Circling the perimeter of Knothole, he couldn't find them anywhere. He eventually resorted to a full-spectrum scan of the immediate area. There were no hedgehogs within range, meaning both Sonic and Shadow were no longer in the vicinity of Knothole. "Those fools!" He knew what they had done. They had obviously gone to face Cyber Shadow on their own. Expanding the parameters of his scan to include all life forms, he discovered that Knuckles was gone too. "That stupid echidna… What does he think he can do against a robot like Cyber Shadow?" Wasting no time, he revved up his turbine, ignited his heel jets and took to the air. Even before he started moving his long-range sensors told him of an epic fight taking place fairly far away. Knuckles matched the black robot blow for blow with Sonic backing him up while Shadow freed Maria, who immediately prepared to join in the battle even despite Shadow attempting to discourage her. The robotic hedgehog wasn't close enough to join in yet so he pushed himself harder, trying to go faster than he ever had before.

Finally released from the energy field that had blocked her Chaos powers, Maria was throwing everything she had at her enemy. She found it pleasing to fight alongside Shadow, but mostly she was angry at Cyber Shadow for kidnapping her and daring to mimic the ultimate life form. The black robotic hedgehog lashed out at her with lethal claws and she barely dodged. This was actually kind of fun. Then an aura of energy enveloped Cyber Shadow and rushed outward like a shockwave, throwing the lot of them back. Shadow was tossed to the side while the other three stayed side by side. Leveling his twin shoulder-mounted laser cannons, he prepared to loose a salvo at Maria, Sonic and Knuckles, who had all landed together. There was only time for her to do one thing. _Oh no! _She could either save herself or save the two boys. She chose the latter without as much as a second thought as to what her fate would be. _I have to get the others to safety! I have to protect them! _Wielding her Chaos powers in a short, concentrated burst, she threw Sonic and Knuckles to the side, sending the both of them tumbling head over heels. "Oh no," Sonic cried in horror. Knuckles echoed, "Maria!" Off to the side, Shadow saw her do this and knew he had to act. _This time_… _I'll protect her_… _for once_…Her big blue eyes widened as the twin laser blasts came straight at her. She had no illusions as to what her fate would be; she knew she wouldn't survive this. A long, drawn-out cry resonated in her ears. Where was it coming from? Then there was a dark blur passing right before her eyes and Shadow was abruptly standing right in front of her, facing the blasts that would surely kill her, using his own body as a living shield. He made no sound as the blasts carved a deep gouge in his chest and stomach, sending a great plume of burning blood into the air. Maria screamed his name as he slowly collapsed without as much as a word. Sonic and Knuckles chorused a long, drawn out cry of **_"NOOOOO!"_** Then they simultaneously jumped Cyber Shadow. Solo attacks, team-ups, if they could think of it they used it. Metal Sonic hit the scene at that moment, firing off a constant full-power barrage from both of his forearm-mounted laser cannons. Outnumbered and outgunned, not to mention damaged, Cyber Shadow saw no choice but to retreat. They let him go, because he was no longer a threat to any of them, now that he was leaving. All of this took just a couple seconds because of how furious they were. Then they all turned back to face Maria.

Shadow lay dying in Maria's arms. Crying, she asked, "_Why, _Shadow? Why did you sacrifice yourself?" He smiled up at her weakly. "You died for me once," he replied in a soft voice, "It's time I returned the favor." Then he said, "I should have told you before. But I guess I was afraid to. Maria… _I love you._" He spoke the last three words with his last breath, going limp in her arms as life fled from his body. Maria cried, "No! _Shadow!_ **_SHADOWWWW!_**" She laid her head upon his unmoving chest, feeling morbid coolness already taking hold. Her next words were sobbed. "…I love you too…" Unnoticed by all, the Chaos Emerald, which Shadow had dropped in his haste to reach Maria, was glowing. Maria still rested her head on Shadow's chest, unwilling to let go. Her entire body was shaken by sobs. Huge white wings erupted from her shuddering back as a pervasive glow enveloped her. There was a quiet hum of power as the Chaos Emerald rose into the air and floated toward her, blazing with green light. She straightened up, arching her back and thrusting her chest forward, fully exposing the scar. A green light issued from the center of her chest, emanating from the scar, matching the Chaos Emerald's glow. The quiet hum grew into a deafening roar. The gem moved toward her, and slipped into her chest like a mirage. Her golden hue changed into a verdant green, spreading from that point and showing that the Chaos Emerald was now a part of her. The golden hedgehog had become a winged green hedgehog. Sonic gasped, "She's… merged with the Chaos Emerald?" A green glow began to shine from her whole body until she shone as bright as a star. A second green glow built within Shadow's body, rising to match hers. Everyone had to look away or go blind in that light. Even Metal Sonic's optical sensors were overwhelmed. The light faded from Maria's body, revealing that she was once again golden. The Chaos Emerald hung above Shadow's completely repaired chest, the focal point of a spectacular fountain of green light that thrummed between the lifeless hedgehog and the levitating stone, and from the stone it fanned out high into the air like a fountain. Maria sobbed again, "…Shadow…" Then it seemed as if the green light was drawn down through the Chaos Emerald into Shadow. The moment hung suspended in time, all people present staring in awe as the green light cascaded down like a waterfall and faded into his body. As the last few sparks faded into him, the Chaos Emerald fell to the ground as a lifeless hedgehog gave an abrupt twitch and let out a huge gasp for air. That gasp dissolved into a coughing fit as Shadow sat up. Rubbing his head, he said, "_Man!_ I don't want to do _that_ ever again." Shadow was then bowled over as Maria half hugged half tackled him, crying his name. Confused, he asked, "What brought me back?" Holding him close, she whispered in his ear, _"Love."_ Sonic, Metal Sonic and Knuckles turned away to let the two of them have a private moment. After that moment was done, it was discovered that, although Shadow had been restored to life, he hadn't been restored to anywhere near full strength. Sonic and Knuckles had to work together to help him stand and walk. Metal Sonic contented himself with blanketing the immediate area in a full-spectrum scan so powerful that not even a cricket could move without him knowing. Maria stayed with Shadow the whole time, refusing to leave his side for any reason whatsoever. Returning to Knothole at all possible speed, they took Shadow to his hut for a well-deserved rest. By that time night had fallen, so everyone went to bed. Maria stayed with him even then.

Metal Sonic, on midnight sentry duty as usual since he was the only one who didn't need to sleep, passed by Shadow's hut and decided to check up on them. What he saw he found confusing yet somehow logical. Two hedgehogs, one of them a deep black and the other a glossy, lustrous gold, were sharing a bed, cuddled up close like a pair of kittens and sawing some major logs just about in unison with each other. Turning away to leave the premises, Metal Sonic said to himself, "This is the last time I will ever peek in on those two."


	21. How to piss off Knuckles

-1Far, far away on Angel Island, the echidna village slept. All was quiet, the air balmy and windless as the moon shone down on pure peace. A pair of figures, one big and one smaller, moved among the huts. One was rotund and the other shone in the moonlight. Doctor Eggman and Cyber Shadow had infiltrated Angel Island, heading for the temple. "Master, your idea of my using my attack on the Freedom Fighters to distract them long enough for us to sneak in here was brilliant." The conceited mad doctor replied, "Aren't I _always_ brilliant?" They navigated through the passages with surprising rapidity because of Cyber Shadow's built-in compass and the energy radar Doctor Eggman had designed for just such an occasion. Soon they stood before the Master Emerald. "Master," the black robot asked, "Why have we come here?" Doctor Eggman replied, "Legend speaks of the Master Emerald having a hidden secret, an awesome power that can be used for great good or great evil. We are here to _claim_ that power." Cyber Shadow stepped up and grabbed the Master Emerald in both hands. "How do we awaken this power?" Doctor Eggman was about to reply to his creation's question when a soft little voice squeaked wordlessly from somewhere close to the ground. Looking down, mad scientist and robotic creation beheld a single Chao standing off to the side, staring up at the with a look of surprise and stark terror. The tiny creature abruptly let out a frightened squeal and ran. Other Chao appeared from varying hidden alcoves, alerted to the presence of the intruders by their compatriot's alarm call. They took up the call and ran as well, blanketing the hallway in fleeing Chao.

Doctor Eggman shouted, "They'll alert the guards and we'll be found! _Open fire!_" The robot didn't hesitate. "Yes, Master." Keeping a firm hold on the Master Emerald with both hands, Cyber Shadow quickly extended the laser cannons set in his shoulders and loosed a salvo. The frightened, squealing mob of Chao barely dodged, some being sent flying head over heels to crash into each other and nearby objects. In his hands the Master Emerald grew decidedly damp. Unable to feel it since he lacked the sense of touch, Cyber Shadow didn't notice it and so kept firing. He only realized his mistake as an extraordinarily cohesive stream of water blasted out of the stone to envelop and drench him. The energy emitted from the robotic hedgehog's laser cannons was conducted and redirected before he could react. Convulsing with an agonized wail, the black-armored robot was frozen in place as a wicked blast of electricity tore through him. As he fell the water moved of its own accord, rapidly forming an amorphous shape roughly the robot's size. Chaos Zero had his adversary pinned; expertly molding his watery body to complete the circuit and keep the charge flowing, slowly killing Cyber Shadow. The fallen robot was fighting for his very life, desperately clawing at his adversary. His talons did no damage, the aqueous creature's very body flowing and reforming around the lethal weapons. Their eyes locked; terrified red to angry green. This metal freak of nature dared to threaten the Chao in Chaos Zero's presence. Chaos Zero would not allow this to go unpunished! Doctor Eggman acted, whipping out the Chaos Onyx; which he'd secretly stolen back from the Freedom Fighters after the Angel Island incident; from where he'd been hiding it and showing it to Chaos Zero. The aqueous being immediately released his hold on Cyber Shadow and slowly backed away from the gem he feared so much. He knew with a dreadful certainty what would come next, and he didn't want it to happen. It was his duty to protect the Chao. If he transformed, he would surely destroy them all. The mad scientist proclaimed, "There's nothing you can do to stop me now! You're _mine,_ Chaos!"

The badly damaged robotic hedgehog struggled to stand up and failed miserably, the electricity and water combination having really done a number on him. Chaos Zero was still backing away from them, shaking his amorphous head in mute denial, holding up his flipper-like arms in a warding off gesture. Seeing no other way out he began to diffuse, intending to become a sentient puddle and flow to safety. Doctor Eggman moved like a pitcher in baseball winding up for a throw, which looked more ridiculous than it was. Then he lobbed the Chaos Onyx straight at Chaos Zero with a surprising amount of strength and accuracy for a non-athletic mad scientist like himself. Gem and aqueous being both shone blindingly bright as Chaos Zero unwillingly assimilated it into himself. The blazing outline changed, growing and shifting into something far deadlier. When the light finally died away, what stood there was no longer Chaos Zero but Chaos One. The drastically altered water being somehow emitted a thundering sound similar to that made by a massive, powerful wave crashing against the shore, but it didn't act to harm Doctor Eggman in any way. "…Master…" The weak, static-filled voice drew the mad scientist's attention to where Cyber Shadow lay crumpled on the stone floor. Badly damaged and barely functional, he was in dire need of major repairs fast or he was done for. His dimmed neon eyes flickered wildly as he once again struggled to stand up. Doctor Eggman's face remained impassive and he didn't even move. "I don't _need_ you anymore now that I've got the power of Chaos on my side, Cyber Shadow. You've served your purpose." The robot understood what that statement meant as both mad scientist and altered aqueous being began to leave. "…Master… No…" Cyber Shadow struggled with all the meager strength the critical damage had left him to reach out after the receding forms of Doctor Eggman and Chaos One. "…Please…" Fearing for his continued existence, not wanting to die yet, he struggled to voice his desperate plea with all of his rapidly fading strength. "…Help me, Master…" Neither of the two even so much as looked back as the fallen robot continued to struggle to crawl after them and beg futilely. "…Please… Help…" Soon they were gone, and Cyber Shadow was all alone, facing the imminent threat of total systems failure with no hope of rescue. He didn't want to die yet, not so soon after just being activated, but all he could do was go into stasis lock and await the slow leak of his power core that would eventually kill him. His final thoughts before he made his desperate descent into darkness were a silent plea for someone, _anyone_ to help him. But he doubted his plea would be answered.

Knuckles had felt something very wrong happening via his innate link to the Master Emerald. All the hedgehogs, knowing that his guesses were more reliable than most people's facts, followed him back to Angel Island to offer what help they could, with Tails tagging along not too far behind as usual. Nobody had known that Knuckles was capable of running that fast. The only ones who could keep up with him were the hedgehogs. They set the world record for fastest time navigating the temple labyrinth as they headed for the chamber that held the Master Emerald. The scene that lay before them upon entering the chamber was confusing, at the very least. The Master Emerald wasn't on its pedestal like it usually was. It lay on the ground near the limp, motionless form of Cyber Shadow and it looked… _empty,_ somehow. The robot looked as if he'd been dunked in a lake, although there was no water nearby. A series of claw marks stretched behind him for a few feet, showing that he'd dragged himself that far before his strength finally failed him. But what had happened? Looking him over with a full-spectrum scan, Metal Sonic gave his verdict, "He is very close to the point of no return, but he has not yet passed it. He can still be repaired." Sonic looked around and then piped up, "I can't figure out what the heck happened here, but maybe _he_ can tell us." Tails said nothing in response to that, merely getting to work.

It took about half an hour, during which Knuckles was very impatient and grumpy. Eventually, Tails backed off and said, "That's it. He'll be okay." Cyber Shadow's baleful neon red eyes flickered on as he stirred slightly. "Huh… What?" He seemed surprised and disoriented as he sat up. "I still function? …How?" Tails smiled and answered, "I repaired you." Cyber Shadow recognized the child as one of his former master's enemies, which confused him even more. "I am your enemy… and you helped me anyway?" Tails nodded.

Cyber Shadow gingerly stood up… only to have the profoundly angry Knuckles grab him right by the neck and actually lift him up off the ground, heaving him up against the far wall and pinning him there. The echidna gave an angry growl and snarled right in the black robot's face, "What did you do to the Master Emerald? _Talk!_" Indigo eyes glared death threats into fear-filled crimson. Cyber Shadow, still very weak from the massive damage he had taken, struggled and kicked but was unable to break free. He tried to get Knuckles to release him, frantically prying at the echidna's powerful hand with desperate claws. Sonic and Maria tried to get Knuckles to let go of Cyber Shadow, but the echidna's strength was too great. Metal Sonic tried to step in, only to receive a vicious backhand that sent him flying into the nearest wall. He reiterated his enraged demand a second time, tightening his grip on the black robot's neck and threatening to break it. Cyber Shadow, still struggling futilely to break free, eventually forced out a few words, "…Doctor Eggman… wanted… unlock hidden power…" Knuckles tightened his grip at that and the stress on his neck passed way beyond even dangerous levels. He couldn't take this much longer. Knuckles yelled at the robot, "_What_ hidden power? _Explain!_ **_NOW!_**" The robot felt the metal in his neck beginning to buckle and give way under the great pressure the furious echidna was exerting. If it gave way fully, the damage would be fatal and irreparable. He could only manage one word. "…Chaos…" Knuckles' angry snarl worsened at that. Cyber Shadow was terrified of what the echidna might do next. One good squeeze would finish him for sure. Instead, Knuckles dropped him. The impact upon landing drove him to his knees. Sonic and Metal Sonic tried to help him up, but he waved them back and stood on his own. Turning to the others, Knuckles acted as though nothing had happened. He said, "Guys, Egghead's awakened Chaos, the god of water. The only way he could have gotten Chaos to follow willingly is to have given him a Chaos Crystal. That means we're dealing with the level one form, Chaos One. He's going to want to get the other Chaos Crystals to reach his final form, meaning we have to get them first and keep them away from him no matter what it takes. We've got a few of them right here, which is good, but…"


	22. Chaos strikes!

Shadow quietly leaned against the wall of the passageway they had all entered through and allowed himself to relax a little bit. He was unaware as a great, silent dark form loomed behind him. Feeling its presence and quickly turning, he had just enough time to gasp in shocked terror before it got him. The Chaos Emerald was torn from his hand and he was sent flying through the room with a loud scream, which effectively ended Knuckles' monologue. The monstrous form of Chaos One entered the room, holding the Chaos Emerald in one crablike claw hand. In possession of the gem but not transforming, the beast looked it over and discovered the missing piece. Green eyes narrowed as it looked out over the group and locked on to Maria almost instantly. Though she looked unremarkable to all others, to Chaos One she had an aura of green fire around her. Lashing out with one claw hand that swiftly morphed into a watery whip, it seized her. _"Shadow_—_ **AIEEE!**"_ Giving a bloodcurdling, terrified shriek, she tossed the Chaos Diamond as far away as she could before Chaos One finally reeled her in. Metal Sonic fired up his turbine, lunged forward and swiped at the tentacle with his claws, to no effect. Shadow tried to grab her hand, but their fingertips just barely touched as the beast claimed her. It drew her into its watery body, where she struggled for a moment before appearing to pass out or go into stasis. Shadow cried, "No! _Maria!_" Cyber Shadow stiffened. "M…Ma…Maria?!" He stuttered for the first time in his as yet short existence as alien memories seized him. They all looked on in horror as the transformation sequence that only Cyber Shadow had witnessed before repeated itself. Soon they found themselves looking upon the unnatural form of Chaos Two. The Chaos Onyx, the Chaos Emerald and Maria hung like a necklace within its liquid form. Chaos Two didn't hang around, reverting to a semi-fluidic state and leaving, taking its captive with it. Cyber Shadow fairly yelled, "Maria? But she is dead! She died long ago!" Shadow explained, "She survived." Cyber Shadow said, "Where is she?" Pointing, the dark hedgehog replied, "The golden hedgehog that creature just captured… that's her." The black robot fairly shouted, "Oh no! We must save her!" He extended his laser cannons and tried to rush forward to chase down Chaos Two on the spot, but Shadow stopped him. "Hold on," he shouted, "You're not going to do anyone any good by getting yourself killed, least of all her!" Standing down, Cyber Shadow said dejectedly, "You are correct." Sonic, totally shaken by the creature's arrival and the sudden, violent subtraction of Maria from their number, asked, "What do we do?" Shadow stepped up to the plate, taking the leadership position Sonic had just passed up. "Simple," he answered, "It's up to us now. We have to retrieve the rest of the Chaos Crystals and keep ours away from Chaos no matter what." They turned to leave, Cyber Shadow quietly watching them go, unsure. Then he took a step after them, raised his hand and called out, "Wait!" They all turned to face him, uncertain of what he wanted.

"I am coming with you," he said, also preparing to leave. Tails asked, "You're coming with us? But you work for Eggman!" Cyber Shadow's rage was evident as he said coldly, "Not anymore. Having acquired Chaos, he had no more need for me and left me to die." That was surprising, but not too surprising. After all, he'd cast away Metal Sonic in the same manner for the same reason. He turned to Tails and said, "He has cast me out, and his only equal in the world is you. Does that make you my new master?" The young fox twitched at that and replied, "No, just a friend." Cyber Shadow repeated the last word, not understanding its meaning since he'd never heard it before. A slight shudder passed along his black steel frame and his eyes dimmed as his basic program shifted around, rewriting itself. The mechanical equivalent of instincts were operating, replacing Doctor Eggman with Tails. "The master is gone," he whispered in an almost inaudible voice. "Long live the master." He was sinking to the ground before he knew it, kneeling before Tails just as he had once knelt before his creator. "Greetings, my master. I am ready to serve." The little two-tailed fox practically passed out at that. Garbled stuttering eventually resolved into words, "I'm not your master!" Cyber Shadow straightened up and said, "I am programmed to be perfectly loyal to anyone of Doctor Eggman's caliber. I no longer work for him. That leaves you, Master." Tails slapped himself and shook his head at that. Shadow looked upon his new robotic counterpart with a mixture of pity and disgust. He was disgusted that anyone or anything made in his image could be so subservient, and he felt pity because he knew Cyber Shadow just couldn't help it. Tails said, "Oh, I'll fix _that_ in a hurry. Cyber Shadow, I order you to consider yourself my equal. We're a team. Don't call me Master. I'm Tails."

They started out in the morning, after giving Shadow some much-needed time to sleep off the effects of having been thrown into a wall headfirst. He was hanging on to the Chaos Diamond that Maria had tossed aside in the middle of her abduction, since it was all he had left of her until she was rescued from the dastardly clutches of Chaos. Knuckles still had the Chaos Ruby and Sonic still had the Chaos Topaz. Now they had to find the Chaos Sapphire and the Chaos Amethyst, and keep the gems they already had as far away from Chaos as possible. They left Angel Island far behind them as they traveled with their customary prodigious speed, unanimously following Knuckles' sense of where the two remaining Chaos Crystals were. Metal Sonic and Cyber Shadow stuck together, pooling their shared abilities and, working together, they managed to detect the Chaos Crystals' energy reasonably well. Covering ground with great rapidity as they alone could do, it wasn't long before they had the Chaos Sapphire and the Chaos Amethyst too. Both of the robots took these, Metal Sonic taking the Chaos Amethyst and Cyber Shadow taking the Chaos Sapphire. Each of them would be in charge of keeping track of one gem, since it would be easier to keep the gems away from each other that way. That and they could all scatter if Chaos showed up and he would only be able to chase one of them at any given time. Not sure of what else to do next, they decided to just keep moving on. After making a short stopover in Knothole to pick up some basic camping supplies, they moved out to begin their desperate journey. If they kept moving nonstop, maybe that would throw Chaos off their trail for at least a little while. Each person carried their own supplies, a sleeping bag and some other basic necessities; those that needed such things, anyway. The two robots didn't need anything of the sort, so they didn't have to carry anything. However, Metal Sonic insisted on carrying Tails' stuff for him and wouldn't be refused.


	23. Poor Knuckles

-1"Dinnertime! Come and get some, everyone!" Knuckles' voice rang in everyone's ears as they headed back to base camp from wherever they had been. It wasn't really a meal call, but rather it was a call for everybody to come back to camp and settle down for the night. The last few rays of the evening sun lit the tops of the great redwood trees as the group came together. Those who needed to eat food had a reasonably good feast on the roots and berries they had all worked together to gather, huddled together around the campfire. Metal Sonic and Cyber Shadow just prepared to stand guard together on either side of the camp. The others quietly unrolled their sleeping bags and settled down for the night.

Crickets chirped and multiple snores filled the air. Shadow was squirming in his sleep and mumbling something about Maria. Sonic was sawing some major logs. Tails was curled up into a fetal position. Knuckles slept like he was dead. Metal Sonic stirred atop the elevated root he was sitting on, looking over to where Cyber Shadow was in a similar position. The two of them silently loomed over the campsite like metal gargoyles. Cyber Shadow waved to Metal Sonic and nodded, letting him know that everything was clear on his side. Metal Sonic waved back to let him know that everything was clear on his side too. Both of them possessed sharp vision and the ability to see in the dark, and their hearing was also sharp. They were both confident that nothing could get by them unnoticed. Even so, they didn't see the water dripping from the tree trunk behind them, forming into a long, thin tentacle that snaked toward Knuckles. The echidna, deeply asleep, was awakened by the sensation of something cold coiling around his throat. And so, his cries for help stifled, he was rapidly drawn up into the treetops without a sound, leaving no trace of his passing.

"Oh man! Knuckles! Where's Knuckles?" Everyone was awakened by that cry. Metal Sonic and Cyber Shadow both testified that they had seen and heard nothing. "I do not know how this could have happened. We were watching the area all night." Pointing fingers was passed up in favor of an organized search. Nobody went alone. Sonic and Cyber Shadow paired up, and Shadow, Metal Sonic and Tails went as a threesome. Shadow said, "Sonic, Cyber Shadow, you scout along the ravine. Tails, Metal Sonic and I will cut across from the east. Everybody keep your eyes open." Scouring the forest in organized sweeps, they tromped through the forest calling out the echidna's name. Sonic and the black robot eventually spotted something red in the middle of a largish patch of foliage. Looking closer, they discerned that it was actually a thoroughly trashed, waterlogged, half-dead echidna. They had found Knuckles. Sonic turned to his partner and requested, "Do you think you can contact Metal Sonic?" The robot replied, "I do not have to. I have been in contact with him all this time." As if cued by that statement, two hedgehogs and a fox jumped out of the bushes to join them. Clustering around Knuckles and trying to help in any way possible, they saw to getting the echidna to wake up. They were all surprised as Knuckles' first act upon regaining consciousness was to leap up and deal the nearest person a surprisingly powerful roundhouse punch. Metal Sonic cried out in shock and went down with his turbine badly damaged. Knuckles realized where he was and apologized. Metal Sonic shook his apology off. Then they all listened to Knuckles' account of what had happened. "I was sleeping and something coiled around my throat. I would have yelled for help but I couldn't breathe. It hauled me up into a tree, stole my Chaos Ruby and threw me into some body of water until I passed out from drowning." Fidgeting nervously, Tails asked, "Did you see whatever took you, Knuckles? What was it? What did it look like?"

Knuckles abruptly looked past everyone, a look of stark terror slowly taking hold on his face as his voice rose to a hysterical shout of, "I guess you could say it looked exactly like _that!_" A roar like that of a massive waterfall resounded in the air as everyone turned to behold the monstrous form of Chaos Three. Taking up defensive positions, the lot of them got ready to fight. Shadow went first, but the water creature's body flowed and reformed around where he passed by. Sonic followed with similar results. Tails buzzed around over everybody's heads, trying to figure out how he could be of some assistance. The two robots laid down a covering fire for the others while scanning the creature for a weakness. Shadow looked it over; meeting those chilling green eyes and then looking beyond them. He saw something beyond those eyes, a dark mass… "What is _that?_" Metal Sonic inquired, "What is what?" Shadow explained, "That shadowy blot behind its eyes." Relaying that information to Cyber Shadow, the two robots worked together on a powerful focused scan of that particular area. Finally, Metal Sonic delivered his verdict, "It appears to be a free-floating mass of cerebral tissue." Cyber Shadow then cut in, "A brain, Shadow. It is a brain." Shadow crowed, "Finally! Something solid to aim for! Hey, guys, _go for the brain!_" Knuckles, standing off to the side and feeling vengeful, said, "Hey, if this thing's made of water…" He abruptly turned to the others and called out, "Cyber Shadow, use your electricity on it!" The black robot nodded quickly and replied, "I will do so." Then he forsook providing covering fire in favor of entering the fray himself. Bringing both his deadly clawed hands forward and summoning the electricity to them, he thrust both hands into Chaos Three's watery mass and released. The beast roared in agony. The black robot withdrew as Sonic and Shadow hit the brain from both sides in a planned assault. Metal Sonic did his level best to rev up his smashed turbine and wobbled into the air as he ignited his heel jets. Trailing thick black smoke behind him where he passed, he blasted forward at the fastest speed he could manage, intending to strike the brain with a claw swipe. He laid down a covering fire for himself with both of his forearm-mounted laser cannons as he streaked in and through, moving too fast for the water to have any effect on him and dealing a quick strike as he passed. Pivoting, he came around for another pass as Knuckles glided in to give the brain the biggest punch he could manage from the air. Chaos Three immediately decided that this was enough for one fight, diffusing into its liquid state and retreating. It was gone before anybody could react to its departure.

Metal Sonic extinguished his heel jets and came down for a landing. Rather than landing neatly, he crashed and tumbled a few times before finally coming to a stop. He stood up quickly. Sonic came up to him and asked, "Do you need any help?" The robot shook his head at that. "No," he said simply, "I am fine." The blue hedgehog cut in, his voice filled with genuine concern, "But you're hurt." He shook his head again and answered, "It is nothing. Go on ahead. I will follow you. Help Knuckles, not me. After all, he is the one who was attacked." Sonic nodded once, trusting his metallic counterpart's judgment, then quickly turned away and went to the injured echidna's side. They all began to head back to the campsite, which was rather far off since their frantic search for Knuckles had covered a lot of ground.


	24. Yeah, he's dumb like that sometimes

-1Metal Sonic let himself fall farther and farther behind. None of them noticed, since he was so quiet. When he was sure that they were a sufficient distance ahead, he dropped the act he had been keeping up and sagged. Leaning heavily against the side of a redwood tree, he clutched at the shattered metal of his turbine and doubled over. Delicate circuitry was exposed, threatening to fall through the opening the damage had inadvertently created. His hand alone held it back. But that wasn't the worst part. He'd done a good job of hiding it from Sonic, but the turbine itself was a very vital part of him, the main part of his power core. And he'd managed to hide from Tails the knowledge of just how severe the damage was. His power core was leaking rapidly, which meant that time was short. Gathering his strength, he began to stagger along the path the others had taken. Stasis lock threatened, but he couldn't let himself succumb to its misguided attempt to protect him. If he went into stasis lock now, he would never get help and thusly he would meet his end. His dim vision flickered as he struggled to take each step. A wet yet heavy sound behind him made him turn. Starkest terror filled him, freezing him in place as the huge shadow loomed over him. He had time to let off a few desperate shots… and to let out a wordless scream.

"AIEEE!" The terrified shriek rang in the air, along with the echoes of laser blasts. The group paused for a head count to make sure everyone was present. Everyone called in until… Tails called out, "Metal Sonic! Where's Metal Sonic?" Sonic stepped up and said, "He said not to worry. His turbine took major damage, but he said he'd follow." Cyber Shadow cut in, "What? You let him travel on his own with turbine damage? You fool!" Sonic was angry, but Tails cut in, "Is that a bad thing?" Cyber Shadow replied, "It is a very bad thing. You do not realize how vital the turbine is to his continued operation." Sonic said, "Would you care to explain that in terms I can understand?" Cyber Shadow thought for a moment, and then explained, "It is his heart." Tails practically passed out, then turned on Sonic; _"You left him behind in that condition?"_ Sonic replied, "But I didn't _know!_" Tails continued, "You _knew_ he was damaged! You _knew_ and _you left him behind anyway!_ He could be dead now and it's _your_ fault, Sonic!" The little fox was almost in tears. Knuckles had gone on a major guilt trip, since he had been the one to deal Metal Sonic that critical damage. Off to the side, something drew Cyber Shadow's attention, something no one else could sense. "Everyone," he called out, "I am receiving a transmission... from Metal Sonic! He is still functional, but barely. He says to track his signal... and to hurry." The lot of them got moving immediately, Shadow using Chaos Control to fetch Tails' toolbox from the campsite instantaneously. Sonic scooped Tails up to carry him along and they all set off, following Cyber Shadow. As they ran, the black robot explained, "Chaos got him, and took the Chaos Amethyst. We are now dealing with Chaos Four." None of them really cared at that point. All that really mattered too them now was reaching Metal Sonic in time to save him.

They would have probably run right by him under any other circumstances, but the rapidly drying puddle and the way the ground had been churned into mud alerted them to the fact that something strange had happened there. "……………………………..." A faint burst of static drew everyone's attention to where Metal Sonic lay in a crumpled heap of badly battered bluish metal, having been thrown against the nearest tree trunk after having been badly beaten, thrown around and then robbed of the Chaos Amethyst. Still, as they watched, the robot's hand twitched a little and his head tilted toward them almost imperceptibly. The weak burst of static came again, this time containing a few barely audible syllables. "…T…Ta…Tails…" Tails was by his side in far less than an instant and everyone else wasn't too far behind him as he got ready to get to business. "…Is… is… it… you…?" The young fox replied, "Yes. I'm here now. Everything will be all right." He got right to work, enlisting Cyber Shadow's aid. As he worked frantically, he asked, "Why didn't you _tell_ anyone? Why did you let yourself get left behind?" Metal Sonic feebly tried to push Tails away. "…Should… die…" Shocked that Metal Sonic wanted them to let him die, Tails fairly cried, _"Why?"_ The robot tried to push him away again, but he was too weak. "…Failed…. protect Maria…" Tails grabbed his wrist and thusly stopped any further feeble attempts to keep him back. The robot was still fighting him with all his strength, bound and determined to succeed no matter what. "…Failed… stop Chaos…" That didn't stop Metal Sonic from trying, though. He protested with all his strength, weakly pawing at Tails' hand as he tried to work. "…Lost… Chaos Amethyst…" He struggled and kicked with all of his meager remaining strength, only managing a weak, sporadic twitch. "…Let… me… die…" Tails shook his head as he continued to work despite the robot's protests. "It wasn't your fault," he said reassuringly, "You did what you could do, gave it your all. Failure or not, _you can still set things right! _You can still help us beat Chaos! You can rescue Maria!" Metal Sonic was quiet at that, feeling a new resolve come to him. Finally he answered in a stronger voice, "For Maria, I swear to set things right." Tails just smiled.

Everything was back to normal a few hours later. Metal Sonic flexed his claws and wished he could smile, very glad to be back to full power. He had a mission now; a new reason to exist, a goal to focus on. Just as he had once sworn to give his all to kill Sonic, he now swore to go after Chaos with that same ruthless determination. Inwardly he was amazed at how _natural_ it felt to want to protect others. This was a massive change for him. Then a large puddle lunged up and resolved into the utterly anomalous form of Chaos Four. Metal Sonic was unfazed by the sudden appearance of the aqueous being, as was Cyber Shadow, but everyone else jumped. Getting into a defensive position, he said calmly, "Target the brain. Use the same pattern as before. Cyber Shadow, use your electricity on it." Everyone else responded to that order on the double, following his lead and eventually laying the smack down on Chaos Four after a long, hair-raising fight full of close calls and narrow misses.


	25. Cyber Shadow gets his too

-1As Chaos Four reverted to liquid form and retreated, everyone dusted themselves off and headed back to camp. By that time it was evening again. They weren't afraid, though. They had trashed Chaos twice in one day, so it would probably leave them alone for the night. Doing a little preliminary packing in preparation for departure in the morning, they all settled down for the night. Cyber Shadow was on his own, as Metal Sonic had taken the much-needed opportunity to shut down and recharge. He didn't dispute that, since the blue robot really needed it after what he'd been through. The night was uneventful.

In the morning they did their level best to completely obliterate any and all traces of their campsite before moving on. Moving at the speed they were so well known for, they decided that the best course of action would be to cover as much ground as possible before setting up camp anywhere. Cyber Shadow brought up the rear, clutching the Chaos Sapphire tightly against his chest plate as he tried to watch everyone's backs at once. Unfortunately for him, he was so busy watching everyone else's backs that he forgot to watch his own. He had no time to cry out, much less react in any other way as a thick spray of water jetted out of nowhere, forming into a long, thick tentacle that immediately seized him and flung him head first into a nearby tree. The impact jarred delicate circuitry, triggering an automatic descent into stasis lock until his internal sensors performed a full systems check. Chaos Four arose from a nearby stream to loom over the fallen robot. Seeing the Chaos Sapphire lying where Cyber Shadow had dropped it, Chaos Four reached out to grab it with one tentacle and immediately incorporated the gem into itself. When the resulting flare died, the utterly anomalous form of Chaos Four had been replaced with the terrifying shape of Chaos Five. It only needed two more Chaos Crystals to achieve its ultimate form, and it knew exactly where to get them. Scooping up the robot's limp body, it set off to track the others. Not even bothering to fully revert to liquid form, it slithered along after the others with all the swiftness of a tsunami.

Having chosen a spot for the night, everyone gathered together and began to settle down. It was only then that the absence of Cyber Shadow was noticed. A search was organized immediately and rendered unnecessary with equal immediacy. The thunder of mighty rapids heralded the arrival of Chaos Five. A tentacle whipped out, hurling a dark form into their midst. Cyber Shadow's armor clattered roughly on the dusty ground as he came to rest face up lying sprawled on the ground. When he didn't move or speak Tails and Metal Sonic charged to his side to see if he was all right or not. Getting no response no matter how hard they tried, Metal Sonic scanned him. "He is all right," he said finally, "Or he will be. He is in defensive stasis lock. He must have taken quite a hit to initiate his self-diagnostic protocols." Shadow turned to Sonic, shrugged and asked, "Go for the brain again?" Knuckles interrupted, "Of course. Shut up and let's take this sucker down." Sonic just nodded at that. Tails heard this and said, "You go help them out, Metal Sonic." The robotic hedgehog just nodded silently and went to join the others in their fight. Tails stayed with Cyber Shadow to make sure nothing else happened to him while he was out.

The battle was harder since they lacked Cyber Shadow's electrical discharge ability and Chaos Five was getting better at protecting its brain. It took a little bit longer, but the result was still the same. The water creature reverted to liquid form and left the scene just as Cyber Shadow recovered fully. He sat up and asked, "What happened to me?" Tails laid the details out for him. When it was done, he was very angry at himself for having let his guard down and gotten surprised like that. But everyone asserted that he had done all that he could, and so he calmed down rather quickly. Putting it behind them, everyone settled down for the night. They would move on in the morning, but for now they would rest.


	26. No amount of Aspirin will help that one

-1Shadow lay stretched out on his back, holding the Chaos Diamond tightly even as he slept. Sonic was snoring as usual, Tails was curled up and Knuckles slept like he was dead. The two robots were on guard duty again, both of them doing their level best to be even more vigilant than before. Chaos had gotten past them once and taken Knuckles. They were both determined to never let that happen again. But the choice was not theirs to make, for none of them could fathom just how many ways a water creature could get by them…

Cracks in the dusty, arid ground suddenly filled with an odd wetness that silently snaked toward Shadow. Small amounts of dust liquefied into mud as the leading edge of it gathered beneath him. Thin ropy tentacles of water arched up from the ground, three in all. Two looped over his ankles to secure his legs. One looped right over his throat. They hung over him for a long moment, and then they all pulled tight at once. Snapping to awareness unable to breathe or cry for help, Shadow's instinctive struggles to break free broke his grip on the Chaos Diamond. Another tentacle snaked up to seize it, and then there was a muffled glow from somewhere in the ground. The tentacles thickened and strengthened as Chaos Five became Chaos Six. Two more tentacles arose to loop over Shadow's wrists and render him completely helpless. The grip on his throat tightened as he struggled for his very life. He fought with all his strength, but it was useless for he was pinned there. Darkness closed in on him even as his struggles slowed, weakened and finally ceased. The tentacles released him at that moment and the odd splotch of inexplicable moisture retraced its unnatural steps and cleared out of the area entirely.

Shadow regained consciousness moments later, awakening to weakness and terrible pain. He only tried to stand up once. A mind-numbing blast of pain from his injured neck stopped all other attempts. It looked like it would be a while before he could be up and about. Discovering the absence of the Chaos Diamond and the wetness beneath him, he knew what had happened to him. The others… He had to tell the others… Gathering his strength, he tried to speak, but what passed his wounded throat wasn't even a whisper. It was hard for him to even breathe, so talking would be darn near impossible without a massive effort on his part. His face was twisted with exertion as he fought with all his strength to force at least a few words past the damage in his throat. His partially crushed vocal cords only allowed a low, painful, unsteady rasp. _"_…_Help_…_ Help me_…_"_ The two robots were the only ones to hear him. Cyber Shadow went right to his side while Metal Sonic alerted the others. "Wake up, everyone! Chaos got Shadow! He is injured!" All the others woke up pretty much immediately and soon they were all by Shadow's side.

There was a wild, eerie howl as the dreadful form of Chaos Six reared up from out of nowhere. All of them except Shadow took up defensive positions. "Looks like we need a new strategy," Sonic said upon seeing that he couldn't hit the brain anymore because it was shielded. Knuckles didn't reply, as he was nervously eyeing the snapping jaws of their foe. The two robots did a tandem scan on Tails' command and discovered something important. Metal Sonic announced, "The mouth is the weak point. We need something that can do damage when thrown." Smiling, Knuckles said, "Sounds to me like something explosive would be the way to go." Sonic cut in sarcastically, "Sorry, but I left my dynamite at home. We don't have any explosives, okay?" Cyber Shadow's attention was momentarily divided between the battle and a compartment set in the side of his leg. Withdrawing a handful of small metallic spheres from the compartment in his upper thigh, he turned to Sonic and said, "We do now." As he began handing them out to all the fighters, Sonic exclaimed, "You carry _grenades?_" There wasn't even a pause. "Of course," Cyber Shadow replied, "Preparation is vital in any situation. Unlike everyone else, I thought ahead and anticipated having to deal with Chaos." Turning away from the blue hedgehog and wasting no more time, he continued handing out his grenades. "Try to get them in the creature's mouth," he instructed patiently. The battle started without further ado, everyone taking turns between carefully throwing grenades and baiting the beast into leaving an opening.

Chaos Six retreated after a long battle full of close calls and narrowly avoided accidents. Shadow had healed enough to sit up, but that was it. Sonic had the last Chaos Crystal and they all realized that they had to protect it, and protect Sonic too. The rest of the night was spent wide awake and huddled together, nervously watching for any sign of Chaos. Even the robots were anxious, to a point. Cyber Shadow was genuinely worried since they had used up all of his grenades in the last battle. If they had to face Chaos Six again, he didn't know what he would do. The only one who went to sleep was Shadow, since he really needed it. Everyone else made sure to keep a careful watch over their surroundings.


	27. We all knew this was coming

-1They set off again in the morning, moving slower than usual, Metal Sonic and Cyber Shadow sharing Shadow's load because he was still rather weak from the previous night's attack. The whole group stuck close together to protect Sonic and the Chaos Topaz. Everything was going well, the forest was silent and still for miles around with no sign of Chaos anywhere. Hours passed and everyone began to relax slightly as they left the forest and entered a vast flat plain. As they continued on under the heat of the blazing sun, they reached a large stone jutting out of the ground and rested in its shade. The rock was still cool and damp with the morning dew, which only made sitting in its shade more pleasant. Even the two robots were able to appreciate it. Sonic stood up and stretched as they got ready to go again. Then the unexpected happened. Every drop of moisture on the rock they rested by wrenched up into the air to gush onto Sonic like a tsunami hitting the shoreline. The hedgehog was sent flying, the Chaos Topaz vanishing in that same evil glow the moment it left his hand. It let Sonic go, casting him aside as it solidified into an undeniably frightening yet oddly majestic shape. Tails, gaping, said, "And that's Chaos Seven, right?" Knuckles, also gaping, replied, "Nope. Perfect Chaos." It gave an earthshaking roar that made the lot of them cringe, even the robots. Shadow was staring up at it with unrestrained hatred. The seven Chaos Crystals hung like a necklace deep within its unnatural form, and pendant from that necklace was Maria. She hung limply within the monstrosity's body; the currents caused by the movements of its watery body making her seem to sway back and forth. He wanted so badly to get her out of there, even if it meant reaching in and tearing her free with his own two hands. Almost as if reading his secret desires, Perfect Chaos reverted to liquid form and became a huge self-contained tsunami, rolling away across the plain to enter the forest and disappear. Shadow let out a wordless scream of rage and frustration, all weakness from his injury forgotten, then turned to the rest and said, "Let's get back to Knothole. We can plan what to do next from there. For now, let's just haul butt home and set ourselves a new speed record."

They set off that moment, retracing their steps. There were no breaks, no meal stops, no stopping for sleep… Hours passed and they ran on in the dark, stopping only to make and light torches for those who needed them. Tails was only a child, so it made sense that he ended up having to be carried by Metal Sonic, who was more than willing to help the little fox. Knuckles put all his formidable strength into doing a marathon glide. Sonic and Shadow were in another one of their little competitions, so neither one complained about being tired. The robots did the best out of all of them, but eventually even they began to tire as they tried to cover several long days' worth of ground in just several hours.

It was midmorning when they reached Knothole. They were lucky to reach their respective resting spots before fatigue made them drop like flies, deeply asleep before they even hit the ground or whatever they fell on. Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles and Tails each sacked out in their huts. Metal Sonic and Cyber Shadow both shut down to recharge, with no intent of reactivating within the next twenty-four hours. All the residents of Knothole were extremely curious about what had happened, but they knew to let everyone get the rest they needed. Hacked security feeds from Motor City showed a monstrous watery being towering high over the skyline as it wiped out anything and everything within reach.


	28. One disgusting nightmare

In his hut, Shadow was dreaming. The dream was not a pleasant one. That much would have been obvious to any observer as he squirmed and murmured inaudible words in his sleep. It would also have been obvious that he was in the grip of a nightmare like nothing he'd ever suffered before. Recent events replayed in his mind; warped and distorted into monstrous caricatures by feelings hidden so deep he wasn't even aware of them. It looked like he was fighting something in his dreams, fighting with anger and desperation, but losing all the same. A cry of loss tore loose from his throat as he lashed out blindly.

…_He was in the chamber of the Master Emerald, surrounded by grotesque horrors that were somehow supposed to be his friends. All were hideous save Maria, for she was an apparition of unearthly beauty that constantly shifted between human and hedgehog form. It came from behind him, a massive wall of water cloaked in its own shadow, ensnaring her instantaneously. She screamed his name and he tried to save her, but his legs wouldn't work for some reason. He could only echo her scream as she reached out to him. He was her only hope, and he could do nothing. She disappeared into the water and everything went black. There was a loud gushing sound and he looked around blindly, unable to see anything in the darkness. A diffuse light faded in, revealing that he was standing in a void. He was standing ankle-deep in water, standing in a huge puddle that spread out over thirty feet at least. At the center of it lay Maria. He rushed to her side. She was dead. That much was obvious on sight. He could only stare and weep, utterly helpless. Her golden hue had dimmed to a sick yellow-brown with water-rot, her pale flesh gone a nauseating blue. Decay had set in, marring her features with wide swaths of rotting flesh and algal deposits the color of rancid vomit. Half of her face was gone, exposing a rotted skull, which still held a closed eye while the other half remained intact. Her ghastly blue lips, or what remained of them, were parted slightly, her mouth, throat and lungs filled with water. Her skin was cold and rubbery, readily sloughing away under his tentative touch, leaving chunks of gelatinous rotten flesh and streaks of gold on his fingertips. Sickened, he drew back, feeling like he was going to throw up. He looked into her face_…_ and her eyes snapped open. As he recoiled in horror, she began to move, standing up. Great swaths of dead flesh were left on the spot where she had lain. Water spilled from her parted lips as she rose to face him. A deep-throated gurgle emanated from her, the water that had filled her lungs spewing forth mixed with gooey clots of thickened black blood. Then she spoke. "Shadow," she said in a low, gurgling rasp, more water and blood bubbling from her lips as if to emphasize each syllable. He recoiled once more; shocked at the sight of this grotesque, loathsome abnormality; this parody of his love. She advanced as he retreated, rotting flesh falling away with each step to expose what lay beneath. An eel nested in her ribcage, having devoured her heart. Sea worms and hagfish were nestled in the coiled loops of her intestines, feasting upon the organs even as he watched. "Why did you do this to me?" He was afraid, very afraid. "Why did you let me die?" She continued to advance, stretching out ghastly blue hands to him. "I loved you, Shadow_…_ and you killed me with your weakness." She had him by the throat before he knew it, her touch cold as ice. A malevolent grin came over her, twisted into a sneer by the fact that she only had half a face. "You are a failure." She began to squeeze his throat shut with surprising power. "Die." Death came for him_…

"_**AAAAAIIIIIEEEEE!"**_ Shadow awakened with a scream, bolting up in bed. Anguish twisted in his heart and he felt like crying. All of a sudden, Metal Sonic practically kicked the door in as he burst into the room, laser cannons ready. "Are you all right? I heard a scream! I did not know what else to do so I—" Shadow waved a hand and cut him off. "It was just a bad dream," he cut in dismissively, "That's all, just a bad dream." The robotic hedgehog abruptly turned to the side and then said, "I am receiving a transmission from Cyber Shadow. Something major is occurring in Motor City. Come with me to the transmission interceptor." Saying no more because nothing more needed saying, Shadow hopped out of bed and followed Metal Sonic out. Together they headed for the transmission interceptor.


	29. Perfect Chaos showdown

The moment he entered, Sonic turned to him and said, "Thank goodness you're here! Look at _this!_" The blue hedgehog pointed to a video screen that showed the monstrous form of Perfect Chaos towering over a wide vista of waterlogged wreckage barely recognizable as having been Motor City at one point. The others were there too. Knuckles and Tails were both glaring at the screen. From the way they just stood quietly, they were obviously waiting for Shadow to tell them what they would do next. It didn't take him long to figure out what they had to do. "Okay," he said, "We're going to go face off against Perfect Chaos. I have an idea." Sonic piped up, "Good! Let's hear it!" The dark hedgehog began, "The Chaos Crystals are inside Perfect Chaos, right?" Knuckles nodded. Shadow continued, "And Perfect Chaos is made of water, right?" Tails cut in, "I think I can see where you're going with this, Shadow." The dark hedgehog finished, "Who here can swim?" The little fox piped up, "Me! I can!" Knuckles added, "I can swim too. What's your plan?" Shadow replied, "Those of us who can't swim will distract Perfect Chaos while you swimmers go in and grab the Chaos Crystals. I know it's not much of a plan, but it's all we've got to work with at this point. If any opportunities show themselves, be sure to take them." Everyone nodded without a word, even the robots. Then, wasting no more time, they all set out for Motor City at top speed to end their war against Chaos.

Most of the city was underwater, so they traveled by treating the tops of high buildings as stepping-stones and traveling in that manner. Perfect Chaos spotted them the moment they hit the scene, roaring a challenge in that voice of thundering waterfalls. The two robots nodded to each other, then blasted off simultaneously. Sonic gave Shadow a high five and they hit top speed from a dead stop, moving so fast that they were actually able to skim across the surface of the water like ski boats. The robots joined in too, but Cyber Shadow held off on using his electricity. Knuckles and Tails both said nothing, merely diving in and navigating the powerful currents that made up their foe's body. They unanimously decided to take what would be easiest to take and leave for later what would be harder to take. Tails could swim faster than Knuckles, it was soon discovered, for his twin tails made a nifty propeller that allowed him to travel in water as fast as he could in air. Passing by Maria, he snagged the Chaos Diamond and zipped back the way he came. He truly wanted to help her, but their top priority was getting the Chaos Crystals away from Perfect Chaos. Knuckles grabbed the Chaos Sapphire and followed Tails. They realized they had help when a small group of renegade Chao emerged from Perfect Chaos behind them, Chaos Ruby in hand. **_"CHAOOO!"_** The little rogues rejoiced in their success for a moment, then got back to work, diving right back in. Tails and Knuckles followed them in without a moment's hesitation. The Chaos Onyx, Chaos Emerald and Chaos Topaz were extracted in a matter of seconds, and soon they lay beside the other three Chaos Crystals.

Surprisingly, Shadow was the person to extract the final Chaos Crystal from their foe, using his extreme speed to leap straight through Perfect Chaos's watery body, grabbing the Chaos Amethyst as he passed. Drenched, he handed it to Tails and asked, "Why isn't it reverting?" Tails looked at the Chaos Crystals, then at Perfect Chaos, who was currently occupied with trying to kill Sonic and the two robots. "I don't know," he said finally with a shrug, "It no longer has the Chaos Crystals, so logically it should revert. What could possibly be keeping it in its current form?" A sparkle of bright gold came from deep within the body of their foe, and Tails knew. "It's Maria," he exclaimed, "Or, rather, the Chaos Emerald shard inside her. While it has her, it still has a Chaos Crystal." Shadow flinched at being reminded of Maria's plight, but his momentary hurt quickly became raw anger. "I'll get her out of there _myself,_" he said. Wasting no more time, he leapt back into the fight with a mighty battle cry. Turning to the side, Knuckles called out, "Cyber Shadow, _we're clear!_" The black robot cast a momentary glance their way, gave a curt nod and then replied, "Affirmative. Charging electro-force burst." Charging back into battle, he thrust both hands into Perfect Chaos and released. The beast roared in agony and tried to strike back at this new offender, but Cyber Shadow was already in motion, darting away at that same extreme speed. Wasting no more time, Knuckles said to Tails, "We have to get Maria. Now, while it's distracted. You too, little Chao. _Let's move it!_" They all dived in at once and began to swim for Maria. Soon they all realized they couldn't reach her, for the fierce currents swirling around her were extraordinarily violent, mingling Chaos energy with water. Having no choice, they turned back and waved to Shadow, indicating distress and a problem. "Shadow, we can't get her out of there," Tails said urgently, "There's some kind of barrier blocking us." Shadow's face twisted into a snarl as a supreme fury took hold of him. "We'll just have to take this guy _down,_ then!" He was on the move in less than an instant, taking all his prodigious speed, power and momentum into a full-on attack.

The battle raged on, but Perfect Chaos fielded all their attacks. It was starting to look like they were going to lose. But if anyone had been aware of what was going on deep inside Perfect Chaos, they would have seen that something odd was going on… For months now, Maria's sternum had been regenerating around the shard of Chaos Emerald she had put in it, slowly starting to seal the gem away in its hollow core. Now the process was almost complete. Soon the shard would become a true part of her and belong to her alone. As the battle raged on, layers of bone were closing over the shard oh so slowly. The regeneration was almost complete. Only an opening no wider than a pencil remained, and even that was closing. Micron by micron the bone moved and flowed to seal away and secure the crystal. Just as Perfect Chaos finally felled Shadow, the final touches of the regeneration were completed. "No," Sonic cried in horror. Tails howled, _"Shadow!" _As the monster advanced for the kill, Cyber Shadow knew his time had come to truly shine. "For Maria," he cried as he charged in to take Perfect Chaos full on. Knuckles shouted, "Cyber Shadow, _no!_ You'll be killed!" The black robot paid him no heed. Gathering up as much electricity as he could hold, going beyond what was safe and overloading his circuits, he once more thrust his hands into Perfect Chaos's watery body to release his most potent attack… And a golden hedgehog adrift in a vast living ocean opened her eyes.

Shadow was awake and aware enough to witness his robotic counterpart's apparently final charge, and to see what happened next. Twin deep green stars burned to life from within Perfect Chaos's body and he could see that these stars were actually Maria's eyes, for she had somehow awakened within her watery prison. "Maria's awake," he exclaimed. Knuckles practically passed out as his Chaos energy sense went off the charts. "Jeez," he said, "This is her doing, all right. But where's this power coming from? Man, it's like there's an eighth Chaos Crystal!" Sonic had only one thing to say. "Now what?"

Perfect Chaos knew nothing of this as it lashed out and struck down Cyber Shadow. The black robot was unable to even try to dodge, taking massive damage… possibly fatal. Metal Sonic leapt up to pluck him out of the air, preventing him from falling into the water, which would have sealed his doom for sure. Setting him down gently, he let Tails try to at least help. At the moment Cyber Shadow was struck down, the golden hedgehog imprisoned within the watery being flexed her muscles as if to break unseen bonds, there was a bright flash of green energy and Perfect Chaos… _exploded._ A very soggy Maria levitated in a halo of green fire for a moment, then limply plummeted into the water as the green fire faded. Shadow gave a cry of horror as Knuckles dove right in to rescue her. Soon he was hauling her onto dry land. "Shadow, she… _She's not breathing!_" Shadow was by her side in an instant. "Oh no… Wait. Her heart's beating. Her lungs are filled with water. That means if I…" He pounded on her chest, the impact driving the water from her lungs. She gave a choked, gagging gasp, and promptly had a huge coughing fit.

Opening her eyes, she looked around and saw that friends surrounded her. A light sound of metal scraping against stone drew her attention to where Cyber Shadow lay, Tails working frantically. He had turned his head to look at her. "…Maria…" She was surprised that he knew her, but that wasn't as surprising as the fact that he cared. "It was you… I know it…" Moving closer, she held his metallic hand. "…I remember you. I remember the ARK… I do not know how. These memories are not mine. But still…" She replied, "It doesn't matter. What matters is what you did. You shocked me awake. You set me free. You _saved_ me." Tails was losing hope of success. Cyber Shadow was slowly slipping away. "…I… have been active… for such… a short time…" Maria fairly cried, "Don't talk like that! You'll make it, you hear me? _You'll make it!_" The battered robot would have laughed if he had a sense of humor. "…Always were… a bad liar…" This time even Shadow was surprised at how much Cyber Shadow knew about his template's life. "…Though I… have lived… such a short time… I cannot… help but feel… it has been… a full life…" Maria was pleading with him to hang on, almost in tears. "Thank you, Cyber Shadow, for my life." He wasn't Shadow, but he was close enough. He'd existed for such a short time but he fought for her. He had only recently become a free-thinking being. To die so soon after achieving freedom… Shadow understood as well, since he too knew what it was like to live under a delusion. "…Tell… my 'brother'… that he… is lucky… to have… you…" His vision dimming rapidly, he couldn't see that Shadow was right there. The final moment came, and the last word he spoke was her name. "…Maria…" Holding in any emotions, she turned to the others and said, "He lived a warrior… and died a hero. As such we will bear him home, to lay him to rest as a hero deserves." All the others were silent, paying their respects for the valiant robot.

A soft sound like a gentle spring rain drew their attention to where a small tendril of water snaked up into the air, defying gravity as it flowed up onto the roof. Shadow took up a battle-ready position, calling out, "Heads up, everyone! _It's back!_" They all took a look, getting ready to fight, but Maria called them to a halt. "It's Chaos Zero," she said. The watery being, so small compared to his previous form, just stayed put. His outline wavered, giving the impression that he was shaking. He had no facial features to express his emotions, but the fact that he fell to his knees and hid his lime green eyes in where his hands would be if he had hands said it all. Maria stood up. Stalking closer to finish the fight, Shadow hissed, "What are you _doing?_ He could still be dangerous!" Walking closer, she motioned him back. "It's okay," Maria said, "I don't think he's in any mood to fight right now." Kneeling by Chaos Zero, she said in a soothing voice, "Poor thing; you must be traumatized." The watery being just continued to shiver in that odd way. "You didn't want this," she added, "You didn't want this at all." Having some understanding of nonverbal communication, Chaos Zero shook his head. The renegade Chao who had helped by retrieving the Chaos Ruby ran up to their protector, squealing happily. Chaos Zero made a sound like rain on a tin roof, which was met with a squeaked reply. This reply made Chaos Zero perk up quite a bit. One of the Chao squeaked a question, which Chaos Zero answered with a rushing gurgle like a tiny whirlpool. Then the aqueous being stood up and placed a flipper-like appendage on Maria's shoulder. Emitting a sound like a small stream, he nodded and tried to express his gratitude for how she had stopped him. "It's all right," she replied, "I'm… glad you're all right now." Turning to the little group of rogues, Chaos Zero let his body flow into a more streamlined shape, taking the Chao upon what would be considered his back and riding the retreating water toward home.

"So we meet at last," a voice came from off to the side, distracting Maria from watching Chaos Zero depart with the Chao. The lot of them turned and beheld none other than a fairly bedraggled Doctor Eggman. "I must admit that turned out to be one of my dumber plans. I am… _grateful_ that you stopped him." They were all surprised to hear such a statement from their enemy, and it looked like Eggman had a very hard time getting himself to say it. "And you…" He looked at Maria. "Your name is Angel, right?" Not wanting their enemy to know the truth, she replied, "Yup, that's me. Angel." Crossing his arms, Doctor Eggman said, "Well… I have all of you together, tired out, ripe for the plucking. I could take you out now…" Shadow and the rest prepared for battle as best they could. "…But I don't work that way. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a city to rebuild. Farewell." With that, he turned and walked away. Turning for a moment, he yelled, _"And don't think this means I've changed my mind about destroying you!"_

Maria looked to Shadow and said, "Some things never change, I guess." Sonic shrugged, then cut in, "I'm glad there's at least one constant in our lives, even if it _is_ Eggman trying to kill us." Knuckles sighed, "I couldn't have put it better myself." Sonic replied, "And, knowing you, Knuckles, you're probably right." Knuckles snapped, "_Hey!_ You're not exactly genius material yourself, you know!" Tails giggled at this, until Maria stepped up and asked, "Can we go home now?" Taking the position of leader one last time, Shadow said, "Come on, everyone. After all this craziness I'd say we all deserve at least a good nap or something." Maria knelt by Cyber Shadow's unmoving form and picked him up. "We can't leave him behind." Placing a hand on Maria's shoulder, Shadow said softly, "I know. Shall I?" She shook her head. "No," she replied, "_I'm_ the one he sacrificed himself to save. _I'll_ do it." Straightening up, she said, "I'm ready." With that, they set off.


	30. In the eye of the storm

-1The six held their funeral for Cyber Shadow fairly far from Knothole, since they alone knew that the black robot had died as an ally rather than an enemy. Things were quiet; since Eggman had to pretty much rebuild Motor City from scratch. Maria and Shadow behaved more like siblings than lovers, doing pretty much everything together. They raced around together, Maria annoyed Sonic while Shadow watched and laughed, and they ate and slept and worked together. She was so glad that her hidden power remained a secret from Eggman. If he were to find out, things would become a lot harder. Or… perhaps… could things become easier? She had been his cousin, after all. Even if that didn't matter, she still kind of wished for the chance to test the limits of her power. Sonic had told her what had happened after Shadow took the lethal shot Cyber Shadow had meant for her, and for the life of her she couldn't recreate it no matter what she tried. She couldn't even understand it. How could she have _merged_ with the Chaos Emerald like Sonic said? This wasn't Angelica, she knew this; she couldn't achieve her true super form like Super Sonic and Hyper Shadow without all seven Chaos Crystals. _Heck, I don't know what my super form looks like now, since my only transformation was while I was still human. _Still, she had a clue, and that clue lay in how Shadow found her in her hedgehog form. She'd slipped into an illusion then, and that illusion had to be the answer. _The energy inside me follows my heart. Pain brought me soothing illusions; fear brought me power to fight what scared me. What, then, would righteous fury bring? What would pure rage bring?_ Hopefully, she'd never need to find that out. She had all she needed in life now. She had a home in Knothole, friends in Sonic and Tails and the rest, a purpose in fighting Eggman… And she had Shadow. Life was good, but it probably wouldn't stay so for long.

Shadow crouched on a tree branch, perching like an oversized spiky black owl as he watched a robot patrol passing through. The sudden feeling of a presence by his side startled him slightly. "Looks like Eggman's back in business," a soft voice said. Looking to the side, Shadow sighed, "Oh, it's just you, Maria. Man, did you ever startle me." A soft hand came down on his shoulder as the golden hedgehog said, "I startled you? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that." Smirking sideways at her, he replied, "Just do me a favor and don't ever do that again, okay?" Maria smiled. "Eggman's back," she said, "You know what that means." Not missing a beat, he quipped, "Yeah, no more sneaking out." She snapped softly, "It means we have to report back to the crew _pronto._" Shadow replied, "Yeah, that too. Shall we?" Maria giggled mischievously. "I have two words for you," she snickered. Shadow just looked at her expectantly. "And those words would be," she pronounced with totally fake seriousness, _"Chaos Control!" _Shadow blinked as she abruptly disappeared in that customary flash of pale blue light. "You're not getting away _that_ easily, Maria! _Chaos Control!_" With that, he vanished too in a second flash of light.

It was actually kind of nice to have Eggman back, since there really wasn't much of anything else to do besides deal with his scheming. Maria had been paired with Shadow for long-range scouting missions, because of their shared powers and how well they worked together. She was happy with this arrangement. Though no one knew, a fierce anger had begun to build within her after the incident with Chaos. Sick of always seeming to end up as bait or a hostage, Maria was determined to become stronger than ever before. She'd even surpass Shadow if she had to. Anything would be fine, just so long as _she_ could be the rescuer for once. Little did she know her chance would come all too soon…


	31. The promised time has come

-1The comet shone in the night sky, sending forth plumes of a deep indigo hue that boggled everyone's mind save one. Maria hid it perfectly, but the sight of that comet filled her with fear. _Please let this not be the same comet, _she prayed inwardly. Her hopes were dashed when Tails calculated the comet's orbit trajectory. It had last passed close to Earth fifty years ago, coinciding with Shadow's initial creation. Maria could barely hide her fear as she remembered what she had seen one day while spying on the scientists in charge of Project Shadow. No one had ever known that she had witnessed the bargain her grandfather made with the nightmarish leader of the Black Arms, the denizens of that foul comet. The thing bore the name Black Doom, a name she had found all too fitting, and he had donated his blood to aid in the completion of Shadow… in exchange for the right to claim him in fifty years' time. _The 'promised time' is near, _she thought, remembering the creature's words. _Shadow, _she lamented inwardly, _I pray that you can forgive me for keeping this from you, and that you make the right choice when you learn the truth. _She came back to reality in time to hear Tails speak. "Now that we've documented this comet, it needs a name. What should we call it?" Maria barely realized she was speaking. "The Black Comet," she said softly, "Call it the Black Comet." Tails nodded. "It fits," he said. "After all, that's what the spectrograph readings show. It _does_ appear to be black, so that's what we'll call it. Nice thinking, Maria." But she was already long gone.

As the days passed, the comet loomed larger in the sky, becoming visible even in the daytime, and Maria grew more nervous as the comet loomed larger. She started watching Shadow from afar, waiting to see if Black Doom would come forth to tempt him. A few days passed before she spotted the red-eyed floating starfish creature known as Doom's Eye hovering near the black hedgehog. Shadow appeared to be paying heed to whatever was being said, and he seemed to believe it. "Oh, Shadow, _no,_" she whispered. "Don't listen to whatever Black Doom is telling you." As Shadow reached up to touch his quills, she realized what card the creature was playing: the fact that the Black Arms shared his singular coloration. _"That means nothing!" _she so wanted to scream, but she kept silent.

Both Shadow and the hidden Maria looked up as a thick veil of unnaturally red clouds flowed by overhead with amazing speed, moving like a crimson-hued wave across the sky. In the distance the clouds gathered over the heart of Motor City, swirling round and round with increasing speed until it appeared that a tornado would form. Light the color of freshly shed blood spilled from the eye of the swirling storm, accompanying the multitudinous black forms falling from the sky like so much rain. _The Black Arms have come, _Maria thought. Her innate goodness made her want to go forth to drive them out of Motor City, even if that meant helping Eggman. But Shadow was her first concern, and he didn't seem to care about the sudden assault on the city. She had a feeling she knew what came next. If past events were any indication, Shadow would soon begin to search for the Chaos Crystals. Almost as if in tune with her thoughts, he set off with no delay.


	32. Shadow makes a choice

-1Shadow's journey took him across the world, through ancient ruins, lush rainforests, the remnants of a military base, parts of Motor City and even the Black Comet itself as he gathered the Chaos Crystals. She'd left the Chaos Diamond for Shadow to find, since she was fairly certain he would willingly hurt her to get it. Black Doom had him hook, line and sinker. Still she followed his journey no matter where it took him, always staying no more than a few steps behind, out of his sight but never far away. The shard of Chaos Emerald locked within her breastbone gave her the power to follow him via Chaos Control, even without the Chaos Diamond to focus her power. She witnessed him being far more brutal than he had ever been before, beating down enemies to steal their weapons, then opening up on anything within range with deadly intent. It sickened her at first, but soon she found herself having to do much the same thing just to survive. Doing that to the aliens didn't make her feel so bad, but she said a little prayer for any other attacker she dispatched.

She leapt from rock to rock within the depths of the Black Comet, not daring to use Chaos Control lest Shadow or Black Doom sense her presence that way, making sure to duck down low in any hiding place that offered itself and silently take out any alien that saw her. In that manner she swiftly followed Shadow into the Black Comet's heart. "Oh, Shadow, I can't believe you fell for it so hard," she whispered. "I'll stop you myself, if I have to. If I do, Shadow, please, _don't fight me._" She had a feeling he would, though.

"You can come out now, little girl." The sound of that low, menacing voice almost stopped Maria's heart. _He knows_… As it was, she found herself frozen against the low wall she had pressed herself close to in her attempt to sneak closer to where Shadow and Black Doom waited. "I know you're there." Black Doom was speaking _to her. _She barely restrained the urge to scream in terror. **_HE KNOWS!!!! _**Shivers ran up and down her spine. It took all her courage, but she managed to stand. "Your fear amuses me, child. Perhaps I'll let you live a little longer. _Come closer._" His tone of voice left no room for disobedience, and she found herself drawing nearer without even thinking of it. "You saw the bargain I made with your grandfather. All this time you knew just what your precious Shadow really was." It was only then that Shadow spoke. "You knew and you didn't tell me? _Why? _Maria, _why didn't you tell me?_" She could think of only one reply. "Would you have believed me? If I told you that you were created using the blood of a space demon that lived on a comet, would you have believed it?" That made Shadow pause and think. "Come to think of it, I probably wouldn't…" His wavering displeased Black Doom, who pointed at her and fairly roared, "Shadow, I command you to destroy this impudent brat!" That _really_ made Shadow pause, and Maria leapt in. "Shadow, _think_ about what he's been telling you. Sure my grandfather made that bargain, but he's dead now. That makes the bargain null and void. And besides, what do you owe this guy? Is a little bit of blood worth the life of a whole planet?" Shadow was about to say something, but Maria wasn't finished. "And whatever garbage he's been feeding you about the blood thing making you one of _them_… It's just that! Garbage! You're a hedgehog, a hedgehog of _this planet, _and don't you dare forget it!" She looked him square in the eye. "Shadow, please… Fifty years ago, you promised to protect this planet for me when even _I_ thought my life was over. But I came back to you! I came back and I was granted the power to fulfill my own dreams. But all that is nothing without you. You're this angel's wings, Shadow. Without you, I cannot even grant my own wish. I live, so the time has come for a _new_ promise between us. Shadow, I beg of you, just as I begged that day on the ARK… _Help me! _I can't do this alone! I know the world is full of war and strife, and people being greedy, manipulative and cruel. But the potential is there. It can still be the peaceful abode of harmony we yearn for it to be, for every single person has the power to change the world. There _is_ good in the world, Shadow. It may be hard to see… It may be beaten down… But it _is_ there. It may not be a perfect world. Heck, it may even be far from it. But it's _our_ world, Shadow. Let's protect this beautiful ball of confusion we call our home planet… _together!_" She held out her hand to him in a pleading gesture, and he took it. All Black Doom's words meant nothing in the face of Maria's innocence, for deep down he considered her nothing less than Hope incarnate. Smiling, she took a moment to hug him in her joy.


	33. The showdown begins

-1The sight of all his manipulation and carefully-laid plans being utterly foiled by nothing more than mere words from a young hedgehog put Black Doom into a killing rage. In that moment he decided he would just destroy Shadow on the spot and complete his scheme _without_ the dark hedgehog's aid. "_Fools! _I'll destroy you both!" The merest touch of his power brought up sheer walls of energy around what was soon to become a battlefield. "_I_ am the ultimate power in this universe… Prepare to meet your end!" Shadow and Maria both took up battle-ready stances as their foe glided sideways, already prepared for battle. "Ready for your first real fight, Maria?" She nodded. "As I'll ever be, Shadow."

What followed was a whirlwind frenzy of a fight, a street brawl sped up to the point of almost breaking the sound barrier. Black Doom was powerful and quick, but Shadow and Maria refused to give up. One after the other they launched themselves in homing attacks, dodging as best they could and praying they did at least a little damage. Shadow's attacks were brutality incarnate, no finesse or style to them, or even any attempt to aim correctly. Maria's graceful attacks were swift and sure, the golden hedgehog almost seeming to fly on unseen wings. She was using her quills to her advantage and augmenting her strikes with her innate Chaos energy, hardly even aware that her attacks were charged up with it. Shadow, however, used pure physical force and nothing else even though he still held all seven Chaos Crystals. He didn't feel that he needed them. After all, he was the ultimate life form, and he was fighting alongside a living Chaos Crystal. How could he fail?

An eternity seemed to pass before their foe finally fell. Black Doom glared at Shadow as the dark hedgehog moved a bit closer. Behind him, Maria looked on in agitation. She wanted this to be over. "Well done, Shadow," Black Doom growled. "What a pity you've lost!" A surge of pure power sent Shadow flying like a rag doll, sailing clear across the arena, the Chaos Crystals falling to the rocky ground with a glassy clattering sound that almost seemed musical. "Now that you've gathered _these_…" The fallen gems began to shine, stopping both hedgehogs right in their tracks. "…I don't _need_ you anymore!" Shadow and Maria gaped. "_No! _It _can't_ be! He _can't_ be able to…" The next two words, uttered in a chilling roar, laid their doubts to rest. **_"CHAOS CONTROL!" _**

Light surged around them, through them, but when it cleared they appeared to be in the same place. Maria's close connection to the Chaos Crystals, however, told her otherwise. "Shadow, he warped the whole comet down to the planet's surface…" He could only stare for the moment. "He _what?_" The answer came in a booming voice like a thousand thunderbolts striking all at once. **"Indeed I have, puny worms!" **Another flash found them suddenly standing outside, on a dead, rocky plateau beneath a blood-hued sky. One look at what was _in_ that sky made Maria scream and even filled Shadow's heart with fear. The monstrosity hovering before them was huge, a cross between a dragon and a gargoyle, ribs jutting out to almost form a cage beneath it, glaring at them through a single red-orange eye. "And that would be Devil Doom, I'm guessing," Maria said, "It fits." For the first time ever, Shadow was at a loss as to what to do. Never before had he doubted that his power would be enough to win the day, but now he doubted he'd even survive.


	34. A daring gamble wins the fight

-1"Shadow, look here," Maria stated. There before them lay the Chaos Crystals. "Do you think we can use those?" he inquired of her. Nodding, she said simply, "I _know_ we can." He stepped forward. "Then let's do it," he said. They stood side by side, raising their hands to the heavens. "Chaos… _transformation!_" As they had once before, the seven Chaos Crystals rose up to circle round them in a shimmering blur of colors, a light building in intensity until it blinded even them. When it cleared, Shadow's black hue had given way to the burnished platinum of his supercharged form. "**_HYPER SHADOW_** is here!" Then he turned to behold Maria's supercharged form. She had returned to her human form, but this was _not_ the Maria he had known. When he had been with her on the ARK she had been a frail child, confined to space because of a crippling illness. The woman before him had no such illness. All frailty was gone. Her hair shone like spun gold, cascading over her slender shoulders like a waterfall of light. Her eyes were a shade of deep sapphire blue so bright as to almost seem to glow with their own light. A star shone from the center of her chest where the shard of Chaos Emerald lay. There was a peculiar sparkle to her, light seeming to dance around her as phantom wind stirred her hair and her dress. Shadow thought back to the short time she had spent as Angelica that day so long ago. The great white wings she had sported then were nowhere to be seen. She looked herself over and laughed in innocent, childish delight at what she had become. "Shadow, look! I'm an angel!" He smiled. "Then that is what we shall call your supercharged form, Maria. Now come on, Angel, let's get this guy and save the world from his nightmare of destruction!"

Together they rose into the sky as if borne up by nonexistent winds, all fear and doubt gone, to face their enemy. **"So the Chaos Crystals responded to your call. It won't save you." **Hyper Shadow merely nodded to Angel, who smiled. An instant later they were both in motion, one going to the right and the other to the left. _"Chaos Spear!" _The cry was almost simultaneous and twin flurries of Chaos energy struck Devil Doom's side. The creature roared in pain, but other than that it seemed largely uninjured. **"Your attacks are _nothing!_" **It struck back almost instantly, forcing Hyper Shadow to dodge at top speed and sending Angel flying. He would have gone to her aid, but she had already recovered and was rushing back in. Pausing in mid-flight, she took a moment to consider their foe. The beast's skin was thick, its wings hard and bony. Try as they might they could not make a dent. There had to be a weak point! There _had_ to be! Devil Doom struck out at Hyper Shadow again. One look at that menacing red-orange eye… and she knew. _"Chaos Spear!" _Her aim was straight and true, nailing the monstrosity square in the eye. There was a bloodcurdling shriek and it almost seemed to stagger in midair. "It works, but it's not enough," she said. "Hyper Shadow! _Go for the eye!_" The shining hedgehog nodded, sending forth a second Chaos Spear. Their foe once again wavered, letting out a second shriek. This fateful discovery set the pace for the rest of the fight, with much usage of Chaos powers from both sides and many very close calls all around.

Both an instant and an eternity later, all three combatants paused in midair. Hyper Shadow and Angel were both as bedraggled as a pair of Chaos-supercharged beings could get, panting quietly and wanting the fight to be over with quickly. Devil Doom didn't look much better, but it was still raring to fight. **"Your deaths shall be slow… _very_ slow!" **Just then, Angel looked at the blood-red clouds above, then down at the ground below, and had an idea. Rocketing straight upward, heading for the nearest cloud, she called out, "_This way, _Hyper Shadow!" He was behind her in an instant as they zoomed through the cloud, stopping on the other side and turning to await their foe's arrival. Reaching out to take his hand, she said simply, "On 'three', okay?" Just then their foe rose out of the cloud they had passed through, trailing scraps of red from its wings. **"Trying to hide? Too bad I can find you no matter where you go!" **Angel looked to Hyper Shadow and nodded. "One…" They spoke with one voice. "Two…" Moving in unison, they lifted their hands. "Three! _Chaos Spear!_" The bolt was twice as large as normal, seeming to set the air itself on fire as it streaked toward their enemy. Struck square in the eye, Devil Doom roared in agony, its wings folding in a way wings were never meant to as it fell to its death. Angel's voice quavered as she said, "Is… is it over?" Unable to see below the cloud their foe had just plummeted through, Hyper Shadow began to descend, replying over his shoulder, "Then we'll just have to go down and see. But it had better be over, and _soon._"

The fight was over. That much they could tell instantly, even before they landed, reverting as they did so. Devil Doom's broken body lay in a shallow crater. It had landed on one of its wings, which had shattered on impact. The other covered its face, but it was still obvious that the thing had broken its neck, as its head was tilted on a crazy angle. One arm, obviously also broken, lay stretched out in the dust, and its head rested upon it. One of the ribs had snapped off at the base, and the impact had driven it clean through the creature's side, piercing so deep that the tip could be seen protruding from the opposite side. Both sides were leaking violet-hued blood. Even despite the injuries, both Shadow and Maria, who had once again become a hedgehog, could see that the beast was still breathing. It was still alive. But the sound that accompanied each breath made it clear that it wouldn't remain so for much longer. Shadow moved in closer, reaching out to move the wing that covered Devil Doom's face, Maria close behind him. He gasped and she recoiled at what was revealed. The beast's eye was still open, but it was glazed over, locked in a frozen stare at the sky, giving the impression that Devil Doom was afraid. "Oh man… Oh _man_…" Maria clapped both hands to her mouth as if about to vomit, her eyes just about bugging out of her head. Unable to bear any more, she just ran off to the side and tried not to lose her lunch. She couldn't bear to see anyone this badly hurt, even her enemy. Shadow, however, moved in closer, stepping slowly into Devil Doom's line of sight. He wondered if the thing could still see, but a weak twitch from the fallen creature answered his question. **"Shadow…?" **He nodded slowly, anger in his eyes, anger at having been tricked and manipulated. "You've lost. This battle, the war you planned, and soon you will lose even your life. Any last words?" Even despite its broken neck, their defeated adversary struggled to raise its head. **"I… refuse… to die like this…" **A wet cough shook the beast's whole body. **"The Black Arms… are… forever…" **The firm conviction in that statement made Shadow wonder whether or not Devil Doom had gone insane in its last moments. **"I'll… come back… and finish… you both…" **Energy surged around it, weakly at first but growing swiftly in intensity. **"Chaos… Control…" **Shadow saw that it was reverting even as the warp grew, and so it was Black Doom, not Devil Doom, who was whisked away on a surge of Chaos energy, hopefully to die somewhere else. Oh well. Either way, their enemy was no longer there to deal with. Shadow went up to Maria, who was still curled up and shaking, and said, "It's all right now. He's gone. He warped away using Chaos Control." Maria uncurled at that, standing up and turning to face Shadow. "But wasn't that thing dying?" Shadow shrugged. "He's probably just going to die somewhere else. Now let's supercharge ourselves again and get rid of that comet." Maria looked around. "Wait, where did the Chaos Crystals go?"


	35. Beaten or not, he's still a jerk

-1Shadow started searching the area, with her aid. "They're not here…" Straightening up from checking every square inch of the ground, Shadow practically started swearing, his angry tirade ending with, "You don't suppose he warped the Chaos Crystals away too?" Maria's face was dead serious as she said, "He did. I don't know why I didn't notice before, but I can sense it now." That led to an obvious question. "Maria, can you sense where they are?" She nodded, then closed her eyes to feel around for their presence. A few moments later her eyes snapped open and she looked irate. "_Great! _Of all the places they could end up, they _would_ be right in the middle of the place we least want to go… which just so happens to also be the place we just left!" Shadow just couldn't believe it. "So they're in the center of the Black Comet again, huh? Well, _that's_ just great." Maria paused again, seeing what was going on off to the side… "Shadow! _Hide!_" She screamed as she dragged him under the nearest cover she could find: the crater that had been formed when Devil Doom struck the ground. They both peeked over the crater's edge to behold a massive swarm of black and red monstrosities heading their way as fast as their legs, wings and/or tentacles could carry them, all the while firing behind them at an equally massive swarm of rotund-looking orange robots who were chasing after them and returning fire, led by an uncharacteristically enthusiastic Eggman, who rode in a hover pod at the head of the group. "…Oh boy," Maria said, ducking down a bit. "I'm guessing this is how things are going to go," Shadow grumbled. "We have to infiltrate the Black Comet _again, _but _this_ time we'll be doing it in the middle of a massive firefight with both sides probably trying to kill us." Maria nodded. "Exactly, it would seem." Then they noticed exactly what they were kneeling in. "…Blood," Maria whimpered, looking like she was about to start crying. "We're kneeling in a pool of blood." Shadow looked at it too, feeling more grossed out than anything else. "The very same blood that gave me life, if that alien is to be believed," he said. "This would be ironic if it wasn't so gross." Climbing out of the crater, they took a few minutes to clean themselves off and then shiver in sheer disgust for a few fairly long minutes before taking off running and reentering the Black Comet.

Now Shadow had an idea what things had been like for Maria while she had followed him during his deluded rampage as they raced along darkened hallways, made their way through massive firefights and dodged wave after wave of enemies. Through it all, Shadow protected Maria from any and all harm, unwilling to let the past repeat itself no matter what it took. She protested this, saying he was risking himself too much, but he was too busy defending her to listen to her. But then the past repeated itself… in reverse. Both of them recognized the sharp crack that split the air, just like before, but this time it was Shadow who fell, a spray of blood and fur flying from his shoulder. Maria caught him and eased him to the floor, behind a low wall where they would be safely hidden. "_Shadow! _It's all right, I've got you." He rested for a moment while she looked him over. "Good, it's not too bad. Your healing factor will have you back to normal in just a little while. In the meantime…" Her face slowly twisted into an expression of hatred mixed with determination. "…Maria?" The look on her face filled Shadow with concern. Surely she couldn't mean to… She didn't seem to hear him as she slowly rose to her feet and stepped out of their hiding spot, exposing herself to the firefight. "Maria, _what are you doing?_" This time she answered him. "Something I should have done a _long_ time ago," she hissed as she walked closer to the battle, leaving Shadow to look on with wide, horrified eyes. Chaos energy surged around her, growing stronger with each slow, deliberate step she took, making her golden quills shine brighter and brighter until she looked like a feminine Super Sonic. The Chaos Crystals were nowhere nearby but she didn't need them to access their power. The look of horror had left Shadow's eyes, to be replaced by awe. A short flash of cold blue light accompanied her winking out of existence, only to reappear long enough to deliver a punishing kick to one of the aliens, then disappearing again to reappear and punch a robot. Winking in and out of existence all over the place, moving with speed even Shadow found incredible, she disarmed an alien on the far side of the room, appeared over a group of robots and opened fire, raced back and forth across the arena in a shining blur and took out any enemy she could see. A few moments later, it was done. The Chaos energy surrounding her died quickly as she calmly walked back to where Shadow rested. "Are you feeling any better?" Her voice was gentle and sweet, a complete opposite to how she had been mere moments earlier. That short time had been enough for Shadow. His wound had healed over nicely, and as he stood up he gave a confident smirk. "Being the ultimate life form has its perks, you know…" However, a moment later, he abruptly almost collapsed, giving a soft yelp and clutching at his chest. Maria had to catch him and ease him back down to the ground. "Shadow? Shadow, what just happened?" His face was twisted with pain as he clutched at his completely uninjured chest and he was gasping harshly for no reason. "I… don't know. Feels like… part of me… is dying." Maria's eyes darkened. "The blood," she murmured. Shadow heard her just fine, but what she meant escaped him, so he said simply, "What?" She ignored his question. "It'll go away if you concentrate on blocking it. But you _can, _however, track it. I'd suggest you do just that. It should help us find the Chaos Crystals, but we don't have long." Pushing the feeling far enough away so he could feel it but not be affected by it, Shadow stood up. He had a feeling Maria knew exactly what was going on, but she must have felt she had no time to explain. "It's this way," he said confidently, pointing down a long dark hallway.


	36. On his way out, it would seem

-1OMG AN UPDATE!

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"It's getting worse," Shadow reported, "Now I'm getting a definite sense of _cold._" Maria nodded solemnly. "We're running out of time." As they pressed onward, searching each and every corner and eliminating every robot and/or alien they found, Maria made a realization. "This is the exact same path I took to confront both you and Black Doom. This has to be the way to where he took the Chaos Crystals!" It was then that Shadow voiced the suspicions he'd had since the feeling hit him. "This impending-death sense I've got… It's _him, _isn't it?" The look on her face was stoic yet sad. "Yes," she said finally. "The blood must link you two… it has to. You're part of him. I don't want to think of what that could have meant had we not taken him down as fast as we did, but right now it's an asset. But once he dies we can't track him, so hurry." Still they continued to eradicate every enemy in their path. "_Hah! _'The Black Arms are forever', huh? Well, once we're done there won't _be_ any more Black Arms," Shadow growled to himself.

They entered the indigo-hued altar room to see the Chaos Crystals lying scattered on the floor in the center of the room, glowing brightly as ever. "We've found them," Shadow said, satisfied, as he gathered them up. Maria had only one thing to say. "But where's…" One look at the altar area itself answered her question. The stone floor was awash in that same violet-hued blood, cascading down the steps that led up to the altar to pool at its base. Black Doom sat, not floated, sat, in front of the altar, leaning against it for support so he wouldn't collapse fully. The previously fine robes he'd been wearing were a shredded, stained mess, the comet-shaped bangles encrusted with filth and congealed blood, and even more of the violet-hued liquid was cascading from a wound in his chest, even though he was trying his best to hold it closed with one hand. His whole body shuddered with each heaving, struggling breath he took. Smirking, Shadow walked closer. "Well, well, well," he said. "So you haven't died yet. I'm impressed, after what we did to you." Black Doom barely had the strength to look up. "Shadow… you…" The dark hedgehog nodded gravely. "I just finished eradicating every last creature in your 'mighty' army, rendering the Black Arms pretty much extinct. What do you say to _that?_" Rage gave the dying alien the strength to reach up and seize Shadow's throat in a weak grip, leaving a smear of blood on the tuft of white fur on his chest. "H-how… dare you… harm… your own… kin…" That statement, alluding to the way Black Doom had tried to trick Shadow, angered the dark hedgehog. Returning the favor, he grabbed the alien by the throat, his grip powerful and firm, his superior strength allowing him to lift his 'creator' clear off the ground. "I am _nothing_ of yours," he growled. The weakness of approaching death seized Black Doom once again, forcing him to release his grip on Shadow's neck and just dangle in the dark hedgehog's grasp, going back to clinging to life just as he had been doing before. Shadow tightened his grip a bit, rather enjoying his enemy's suffering. "You claimed to be all-powerful, but now you're just pathetic," he said. "If you weren't already dying, I'd kill you." Pivoting swiftly, he thrust his pinioned enemy up against the altar with enough force to shake it and almost enough to break Black Doom's back. As it was, the alien gave a loud, wavering groan that spoke volumes about the pain and suffering he was being put through. By this point Maria had already decided she'd had quite enough for one day. "Stop it! Shadow, _stop!_" He stopped. Just like that, he stopped. "Maria?" Stepping closer, she said, "Shadow, we've already won and then some. The Black Arms are defunct and this guy's on his way out. Doesn't what you're doing seem just a _little_ unnecessary to you?" Pausing a moment to regard the now limp form of Black Doom. The alien still clung to life with a tenacity that would have done Eggman proud. Shadow growled, "She's right. Finishing you isn't worth the effort." A moment later, he threw down his foe and watched impassively as he actually bounced off the stone floor, then came to rest lying face up in yet another pool of blood, almost at Maria's feet. "Which is why I'll let _her_ decide what'll be done to you next, monster."


	37. Not a jerk?

-1Maria watched that, wincing quietly at the sight of such a formerly powerful creature brought low. Defeating Black Doom had been one thing, a necessity, but this had become humiliation, torture, and that was beyond her. She took a moment to look their enemy over. Black Doom was just staring up at nothing now, those formerly frightful red-orange eyes hazy and distant, all his strength devoted to taking that next breath. He didn't even bother to try to stop the flow of blood from his chest wound, but that didn't matter, since the blood was only leaking out now. Most likely that was because there was very little left in his body, judging by the condition the floor was in. Each struggling breath shook his whole body, and she could hear him gasping from where she was. This definitely wasn't the cold, arrogant overlord she'd seen earlier. She moved in a little closer, then paused and looked to Shadow. "Shadow, could you please take the Chaos Crystals and leave? I… don't think you should see what comes next." The dark hedgehog nodded, taking that to mean that whatever she planned to do would probably be brutal. "I'll go," he said.

In his wake, Maria willingly entered the pool of blood to kneel by the fallen, dying Black Doom. "He's gone now," she said. "Shadow left." The alien slowly turned his head to look at her, seeming to struggle to focus on her face enough to see her clearly. "Shadow… he didn't… he didn't… kill them all… did he…?" Compassion drew forth a comforting lie. "No, he just thinks he did. He scared the rest so badly they won't come out of hiding for quite some time." That eased the half-dead overlord's seeming distress. She was starting to think he hadn't been fully evil after all. Just mostly. However, she still had a question. "_Why? _Why attack our world?" She was surprised to receive an answer. "Always wanted… a world of our own. Light… Warmth… Open spaces… All things denied us." She understood now. Here was a leader seeking what his people needed. Though the methods he had used were evil ones, the reason behind it wasn't evil at all. "The comet…" That brought her back to the moment. "What about the comet?" This time he did not demand, he requested. "…Return it… to the sky," he said. "Let it be… my eternal resting place, forever circling… this planet… as it did before, that whenever… it shines… in the sky… my people… may look up… and remember… who brought them here. I lived." In that moment she almost pitied the pathetic monster who lay dying on the floor. "I will." He seemed a bit more peaceful now, less agitated about the prospect of death. "Ch-child…?" He was addressing her again and again she listened. "Tell Shadow… the burden… will now… pass to him. As my blood-son… my people… will turn to him… when I am gone. Give them… a cause… to fight for… and they… shall be happy. We… had our eyes… on some caves… near that… great city we attacked." He paused. "Soon… very soon now… I will be gone… and the Black Arms… will have… a new leader. Shadow…" After falling silent for a moment, he spoke up again, his voice barely a whisper. "Strange… I can't remember… why I was so angry at him…" It was then that he finally let go. No longer distressed at the demise of his people, he passed on in peace.

Off to the side, she heard a small, soft cheeping noise, but she ignored it for the moment. Suppressing her revulsion, she picked up the corpse of Black Doom, still warm with freshly extinguished life, and placed it upon the altar. "This'll do," she said. The blood coated her body, making her fur and quills sticky, but she paid it no mind as the cheeping came again. This time it didn't stop, the insistent sound coming again and again until it led her to a forgotten dark corner, where a tiny form huddled amid the remains of what had to have been an eggshell. Awe filled her at the sight of the newborn Black Volt, a birdlike variant of the Black Arms species. The little creature looked up at her and squawked happily, spreading its tiny wings as if to try to fly. Adult Black Volts were large enough to carry hedgehogs such as Shadow on their backs, but the newborn chick was small enough to be carried in her arms. Smelling the blood on her, the blood of the Master, the infant Black Volt imprinted on her and flapped its tiny wings, fluttering into her arms. "Aw," she cooed. "Aren't you just a sweet little thing… Not like your brothers. I'll call you Birdie." Cradling the Black Volt chick against her chest, which it rather enjoyed, she tore out of the comet's depths to seek out Shadow and return the Black Comet to the sky.

"_Maria, what do you think you're **DOING?!**" _Shadow's shout was so loud it actually echoed. Leaving off cringing, she explained, "Its name is Birdie and it thinks I'm either its mother or Black Doom… I'm not sure which yet. Either way, it seems to like me a lot." 'Birdie' gave a squawk at that, no longer shivering against Maria's chest. Quietly regarding the dark hedgehog, it caught his scent and came to a conclusion. He too bore the blood of the Master so he was kin, he was family, and the little Black Volt chick was delighted. Squealing happily, Birdie left Maria's arms and dove into Shadow's, cuddling up immediately. "Aw, it likes you." Shadow had to admit that the infant alien was acting absurdly cute. "Anyway, I was thinking we should put that comet back in the sky and return it to its old orbit." Shadow responded, "And why shouldn't we just destroy it?" Thinking for a moment, Maria said, "The Black Arms are dead, save for Birdie. What more can a lump of rock do to us? Besides, I think Tails will be heartbroken if the comet he discovered goes missing. No, I say let it keep orbiting Earth. Every time we see it, we can feel proud that we eradicated a threat to the world, just the two of us."

Putting the little chick down, both Shadow and Maria underwent the transformation again, once again becoming Hyper Shadow and Angel. Flying up, they laid their hands upon the Black Comet's rough exterior and proclaimed as one, _"Chaos Control!" _An instant later they were in space, hanging high above the world. "If we fling it this way it'll be on its old course, and at the same speed too." On the count of three they pushed very carefully and the comet was off. Nothing more needed saying as they returned to where they had been before and reverted, the unclaimed Chaos Crystals once again scattering. "Let's go home, Shadow," Maria said happily. She had fulfilled her duty. Once again picking up the Black Volt chick, she added, "I think Birdie might be hungry." The infant alien squawked assent. "All right," Shadow said. "Ready to Chaos Control home?" Maria nodded. "I sure am!" Birdie cheeped too. _"Chaos Control!" _They warped away together, heading home. All that remained in their wake were the echoing words: "I wonder what Birdie eats…"


	38. Epilogue: Yes he is

-1All was silent in the Black Comet, like the tomb it was… or was it? For in the darkness one thought dead still lived. "I see now," Black Doom said. "I wasted my time on Shadow when all along I should have just manipulated that gullible child. All I had to do was fake being near death and she became a perfect little puppet." The invasion had failed, but that was only a minor setback. After all, there was always the next cycle, and he already had plans in place for then. The foolish child had taken the bait, the newly hatched Black Volt that had been purposely hidden for her to find. The next time the comet came near the planet, that Black Volt, by then fully mature, would once again gather the Chaos Crystals for him and his plan would begin anew. In the meantime, he had to remake his army from scratch. He had a full fifty Earth years ahead of him, but he wasted no time nonetheless. Sure he was injured, but fifty years would be plenty of time to recover and so he would be back to full power long before it was time to return to that planet to invade once again.

Halfway to the cloning vats, which Shadow had missed entirely, he found himself having to lean against the wall and rest a bit. "I'll make Shadow pay twice over for this indignity," he growled, once again clutching at the wound in his chest. He'd managed to fake massive blood loss, but now the violet flow refused to stop. It was slow, but it was steady. …It was probably nothing. He was the ultimate power in the universe. Even Shadow couldn't destroy him. Surely this couldn't kill him. Brushing this new complication off, he continued on his way. Soon he was there, in the vast, dark chamber where the latest additions to his army lay awaiting the call to action. "The Black Arms _will_ rise again," he resolved. Inputting a code with practiced ease, he released the latest batch. The fluids drained from the vats and the freshly released creatures swiftly gathered round him. "I am Black Doom," he thundered. "I am your master. Follow me and we will… eh?" His words were cut short when he noticed that they were squeaking amongst themselves and behaving as if they were in the presence of an enemy. "What is this?" The squeaks became growls. "Wait, what are you _doing?_" Wicked dark blades were snatched up and other weapons drawn. "Stop this at once! I command you!" Something had gone terribly wrong… "I am your master! How dare you turn against me!" They had encircled him and he found himself backing toward a wall. _"You can't do this! I created you! I_…_**ARRGH!**__" _He had no idea which one of them did it, but one of them thrust a sword forward, impaling him through the chest with such power that the blade's tip passed clean through him and into the wall behind him, pinning him there. All three red-orange eyes were wide as he stared down at the sword stuck in his chest, disbelieving. Then, moving slowly, he looked up at his creations, now his killers. "…Y…you…" Dying or not, his mind was clear, so he recalled the lie he had told that naive child and realized that he had unknowingly told the truth. "…Sh… Sha…dow…" He had been right, curse it all. It was supposed to be a lie but he had been _right. _He no longer led the Black Arms. That had passed to Shadow. The Black Arms would indeed return, but he would not be there to see it, for this was… the end…

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And indeed it is, for now. I may return to this someday, but don't count on it.


End file.
